Fighting For Tomorrow
by mayarox95
Summary: Hermione and Draco really shouldn't have met again. They were running around two completely different circles and had two very different jobs. But when someone begins to be targeting purebloods, it appears that they have more in common than they would have thought.
1. To Leave It All Behind

**Title:** Fighting For Tomorrow

**Rating: **T

**Summary: **Hermione and Draco really shouldn't have met again. They were running around two completely different circles and had two very different jobs. But when someone begins to be targeting purebloods, it appears that they have more in common than they would have thought.

**A/N: **Disclaimer, I do not own the characters or the plot leading up to Deathly Hallows (minus the epilogue). This story however is mine and everything that happens is an original idea.

With that said, hello again readers! It's been too long since I posted a chapter, and I missed writing each week so much! But the planning of this story took so long, and on top of that, I was severely lacking inspiration for a few weeks. And then life and finals got in the way and I couldn't post because of that! But I'm finally back, with a new story that has been very nearly completely planned! With that said, onwards to the new story.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Hermione stared at the files on her desk, wishing them away, as she usually did Friday afternoons. They were the quietest of days at the Ministry of Law Enforcement, mainly because most of the week's cases had been solved by that point. Because of this, she would use the time to look over the cold cases that the department hadn't solved, hoping that she would be able to find some new, telling detail which she had missed prior to now.

Of course it only happened rarely. The minute Hermione was presented with a case, she would go over the entire thing, front to back, and researching every detail, even those which appeared to be not so relevant, hoping to find something that stood out at her.

It had been nearly five years since she had graduated from Hogwarts, and six since the final battle that had taken place. She, unlike Harry and Ron, had gone back to repeat her final year. It wasn't because she wanted to complete her education, which even though was a huge reason she did, but because she needed more time to find out what she wanted to do. In her fifth and sixth years she began to look into the magical professions, and was so sure she wanted to go into something which would allow her to look into the rights of magical creatures. However, looking back on it, she knew it wouldn't have been right for her.

If there was one thing that Hermione had struggled with her entire life, it was the struggle between what was right, and what she wanted to do. It happened first when she was a child and she had to make a choice between going off to Hogwarts and staying with her family. For an eleven year old, choosing to enter a new world that she knew nothing about was a very hard choice. She was scared out of her mind, but also knew it would be best for her, regardless of her fears. It also happened when she told McGonagall about the broom Harry received third year. When reporting the incident she knew that Harry would probably hate her for it, but it was right for him because it would keep him safe. How was she supposed to know that Sirius would turn out to be good and on their side? She didn't regret telling McGonagall in the end, as it would have protected him if Sirius had indeed been a murderer.

Fighting for house elves would have been a noble cause; there was still so much prejudice remaining after the war, but it had decreased heavily from before. If anything, the tables had somewhat turned, to the point where blood purity may still influence society, but not to the point where hatred would drive actions. At the end of the day, the job would have been right, but it wouldn't have been what she wanted to do. And if there was one thing the war had taught her, it was to do something for her, as opposed to the greater good.

It was only fitting that she went into a researching job that involved thinking outside of the box to find out motives and suspects behind the cases. She had spent most of her life looking up one thing or another, so it became a second nature to her. She had had enough of the action from the war and the time leading up to it to last her a life time. Besides, it was more interesting for her to solve the mysteries.

Hermione's eyes snapped open, bringing her back to the current situation, and out of her day dreams. The files in front of her were the milder of the unsolved ones, involving things such as thievery or muggings that were only slightly violent. Either way, they had no absolute outcome and Hermione hated leaving her cases unsolved.

The case she was currently looking at was for a break in at the local apothecary where a few seemingly unrelated herbs had been stolen. The trail was going cold, as it had nearly been four months since the incident, and Hermione knew that if she left it too long she would never be able to solve it.

"Are you making any progress?" she heard a voice call from the door.

Hermione looked up from the pile of files that she had scattered over her desk. "Harry? What are you doing here?"

"I came to relieve you from yourself," he said, a bit too seriously. "How long has it been since you took a break from your work to do something else, something relaxing?"

"I take breaks!" Hermione argued. "Just last week I…"

"You what?" Harry asked her as he took a seat at the front of her desk.

"I…" Hermione said, unable to think of anything. She bent her head down ever so slightly to avoid looking at Harry.

"Hermione," he said softly. "I know it has been a rough few months for you. I haven't seen you so devastated ever since you and Ron broke up a few months ago. I know it's been hard, but you need to get out; you can't keep everything so bottled in. It's not healthy."

"Don't," she said, as she rubbed her temples. "I know what I'm doing is wrong, Harry. But I just need to deal with this my own way. Just give me a bit of time, please."

"Okay," Harry said finally. He paused for a bit before continuing. "Hermione, Ginny wanted me to invite you over to dinner at the Burrow. She wanted me to remind you that even though you and Ron aren't together, you still have a family in them."

She shook slightly. She had been severely lacking in family lately.

"Is he going to be there?" she asked quietly, even though she was already sure of what the answer was going to be.

He hesitated, "…Yes. But I know he would want to see you; you know all things said and done. Besides, forget about him for a minute, and think about yourself. Everyone else is dying to see you."

"I can't, Harry. You have to understand that it's not something I can handle. The last thing I need is to see him with whatever bimbo he with this week."

He became sombre at that. "I understand, Hermione," he said, as he got up from his chair and made his way to where she was sitting. He grabbed her arms and brought her into a tight hug. "I want you to know that I will always be here for you. I know when we were younger I often chose to side with Ron, but not anymore. You're like my sister, and I will always love and support you. Please remember that."

A few tears slipped from her face as she hugged him back tightly. "I know, Harry, I know," she said, as she rapidly wiped away the tears from her face, desperate to return to hiding her emotions.

"Good," he said, as he pulled away enough to see her face. He wiped her tears away before kissing her on the forehead.

"It's getting late, Harry. You probably should go," she said desperate to change the topic. "It's getting late, and you know how Ginny worries."

Harry smiled at her words, "That she does," he said softly.

"Good bye, Harry," she said with a false smile. "Don't worry about me; I'll go home soon, and I'll do something for myself."

He gave her a once over, as if he were deciding whether to believe her or not, but he must have decided against saying anything further, as he just gave her a smile.

"Good bye, Hermione."

* * *

Draco walked down the halls of St. Mungo's Hospital with files in one hand, and a large coffee in the other. He hadn't been getting much sleep between the long hours at his job, and attempting to balance out his life as well. Hell, it was probably safe to say he had been getting no sleep.

He took a sip as he passed by the receptionist, Donna, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Healer Malfoy, I have something for you," she said as she handed him a large envelope. "It gave by owl not more than an hour ago, and I've finally caught sight of you."

Draco sighed, wondering what it could be. The only times he received owls at work were in cases of an emergency, and honestly, that was the last thing he needed to deal with right now.

"Thanks, Donna," he said, as he grabbed the orange looking envelope. He eyed the seal at the top but could not identify it from first glance, so he placed it in the pile he had under his arm already and continued walking towards the break room.

Draco stopped suddenly however as he saw room 309. He opened the door and peeped in, to see Jamie Donnelly sitting on the bed, reading over a copy of Hogwarts: A History.

He smiled, before entering the room. "Enjoying the book, Jamie?"

The brunette looked up from the book he was reading with a smile, "Yeah! It's the newest edition and everything! It even talks about the Final Battle, but only to briefly point it out."

Draco tried not to shudder at the mention of the war, but he could not hold back a slight cringe. The days of his past were long behind him, and he had spent the last few years attempting to build up a name for himself, which he could be proud of, and not one that was associated with the darkness of his family's legacy.

Draco simply placed a smile on his face as he walked closer to where the boy was sitting. "Oh really? What part are you at right now?"

"It's talking about the brief reign of Umbridge and how Dumbledore's Army defied, and eventually got rid of her. But I already know everything that happens; this is my fourth time through the book!" Jamie said enthusiastically.

"You remind me of a girl I used to know when I went to school," he reminisced. "It was rare to see her without a copy of the book in her hand. I reckon she's read it at least a hundred times by now."

"Really?" Jamie asked as his face lit up. "What was her name? Do you still talk to her? Do you think that maybe I could meet her?"

"Her name was Hermione," Draco said softly. "But we were never really friends, and now she's just someone from my past."

Jamie looked disappointed at that, but masked it quickly, "That's okay, Healer Malfoy!"

"So how are you feeling today, Jamie?" Draco said, wanting to learn about his patient's current conditions.

Jamie had a rare condition that caused his blood too thin to the point where proper circulation was near impossible. Draco had been made the Healer in charge of his condition when he first came to them a few years back, but he had been no closer to finding a medical solution than he had back then. And it wasn't due to the lack of effort, because Draco spent all the time he was at work, and even some afterhours looking into old records to see what had happened in the past. But so far, nothing had come up.

It didn't help Draco that Jamie had no living family. According to the orphanage, both of his parents had died during the war but their identity was unknown other than the last name that Jamie had. He had attempted to trace back his lineage, but there was virtually nothing on his parents.

"I feel better today," Jamie said with a smile. "It hurts sometimes to move my body, but it's better than the usual."

Draco nodded, "That's good," he said. "Let the nurses know if you need anything, okay?"

"Alright! Bye, Healer Malfoy!" Jamie said with a wave.

Draco left the room, feeling slightly better about his day. Jamie was one of his favourite patients, and he had a way of lifting up one's mood simply by talking to them.

He resumed walking, going down the hall to take his long needed break. He entered the nearly empty room and sat at the table closest to the window.

Draco took some time to go through the files, when he saw the owl that Donna had handed him earlier. Curious, he ripped open the envelope to see a seal at the top, addressed from a law company.

His eyebrows rose; it was very rare that anyone had a complaint with his work, let alone going to a lawyer over it. He took the rest of the envelope so he could read it properly. To his surprise it had nothing to do with any patients he had in the past. Instead, it had to do with another matter altogether.

He had just been served divorce papers.

* * *

Hermione stretched on the couch, one hand holding a cup of wine, and another holding the book she had picked up at Diagon Alley. True to her word to Harry, she had spent the evening relaxing and taking care of herself. She hadn't had a night to herself in so long. Even know, she was half tempted to re-open the case files right back up and start looking through them again.

But she wouldn't let herself. Both her parents had been workaholics, and Hermione would not let that happen to herself.

She flipped through the pages of her book, but her mind was wandering, and she knew it.

Hermione looked at the clock, and sighed when she saw that it was only 8 o'clock. It was far too early to consider going to bed, so instead she was going to have find something to keep her occupied.

Her mind began to wander to her life lately. The last few months had been so hard on her, and she had been unable to properly grieve the loss of her relationship and her former friend.

It was fair to say that the split with Ron had most certainly not been amicable. He wanted to fame and the fortune of the life associated with being a war hero, and she simply wished to remain out of the spot light. She didn't blame him; being in a family so large made it hard for a kid to get individual attention. It had never been a problem for her, as her parents had always given her the attention she needed, but also respected her and left her alone when she wanted to be.

Ron's life of fame didn't just end there. He too had decided he didn't want to go into a career filled with action, however his reasons were far too different. He felt as if he had worked hard enough in the past, and when choosing a career, he wanted something fun. So he had chosen Quidditch. Granted, Ron was good at it, but the fame began to get to him.

He started believing that he should be entitled to more; more money, more popularity, and more women. He believed Hermione needed to change who she was so she could fit in with the glamour of his new life, and she had been against it. After all, why should she have to change when it wasn't even for him, but for the press?

She could tell that he began to resent her for it, and longed to be with the other women, but he never gave her any clear indication that he wanted to break it off, so their relationship continued.

That is, until he told her that he had enough and didn't want her to tie him down anymore.

She remembered feeling like she had been hit by a pound of bricks at his words as she listened to him attempt to explain how he needed to be free to enjoy his youth.

Hermione had been shocked. This was Ron; the boy who had dreamed of starting his own family since he was a little boy; but here he was, basically throwing that all away.

She wanted to slap him, but she refrained. Instead she walked away and didn't look back. They had tried to talk a few times since, but each had led to awful arguments, and quite frankly, Hermione was done.

She heard an owl pecking at her window, and stood up, confused. Who would be trying to reach her at this hour? Usually, work owls came in the morning, or before dinner, but rarely after. And she was sure it couldn't have been any of her friends due to the fact that they were most likely all at the Burrow.

Her eyes skimmed the parchment before widening slightly. She couldn't remember the last time she received an owl like this.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Sorry to bother you so late, but something has come up and I need you to come in right away._

_They found a body._

_Signed,_

_Harry Potter_

* * *

**A/N:** I know this chapter was slightly slower, but there were a lot of things that I had to get out there, so it will pick up soon, I promise! As for things I left unexplained, they all will have their moments, I swear.

As per usual, I will be updating every Sunday (or if something comes up, as soon as possible) (and yes, I know today is Monday; I just got back from a holiday). Let me know what you guys think!


	2. Adrian Pucey

**Chapter 2**

Having read the owl from Harry, Hermione rushed to grab her things. Homicides weren't exactly rare in the wizarding world, however after the war, they were not as common. It had been at least a few months since she had been involved in a case involving one, and in that, it was a case of accidental magic, where the wife of an abusive husband had accidently caused a rather large box that was on the shelf above him to fall and hit him on the head. When Hermione had arrived at the scene to analyze what had happened, she saw the witch in tears, claiming she didn't mean to do it, and that she just wanted her husband to stop, and had in turn, made it stop. It was an easy case to solve, seeing as it was very clear that while she had caused her husband's death, she did not intend to. However Hermione had dug deeper and found that her husband had also been involved in a series of highly illegal business, and actions. The case was closed with the witch being subjected to a screening at St. Mungo's to make sure there was not permanent damage after such a traumatic affair. She had also lost her wand for six months, just to make sure nothing of such could happen again.

Hermione was a bit nervous about going in. It's not like any danger remained after the crime, which was one of the reasons she loved her job, because she didn't have to pursue the criminals. All she had to do was go in and with her team, try and find any evidence left behind. Then, she would bring it back to her office and analyze anything she found, and research any unknown items to try and find out anything that could help point fingers at the guilty.

Having gathered all of her things, she grabbed some floo powder from the blue bowl she had bought a few months back from a street vendor by her house, and stepped into the fireplace.

"Auror's Office," she said, before dropping the green powder.

When she landed, she stepped out, to see the office full of life, with everyone running around in different directions, doing different things.

She spotted Harry at his desk, looking as if he were writing some very important owls. Hermione walked over to where he was standing to ask him just what was happening.

Last year Kingsley had stepped in as the Minister of Magic, and that had left an opening as the head of the Auror office. At that point Harry only had four years of Auror training, but it had been widely accepted that he take over; after all, who had more experience with dark wizards other than The Boy Who Lived? Harry had been shocked, and even attempted to turn it down, however Kingsley was having none of it and told Harry that if he attempted to turn it down out of modesty, he would find himself out of a job. Of course, Kingsley was joking, but Harry had accepted it soon after.

It had technically made him her boss, even if he was more in charge of on-site work, and she was in the off-site area. She didn't mind it though. Harry never gave her preferential treatment, just because they were friends, nor did he treat her as anything less than she deserved. In fact, he treated her like an equal, as he did with all his employees. It was one of the reasons why everyone enjoyed having him as their boss.

"Harry, what happened?" She asked when she saw him. "Who was the body they found?"

Harry looked up at her grimly, "We think it's Adrian Pucey, but we're not entirely sure. We need to still run the tests on the body, but we need you and your team to look at the site first to see if you can find anything before we move the body."

She narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean you think it's Adrian Pucey?"

She remembered him from school, as he was only a few years older than themselves. There was nothing special about him really. He didn't stand out in any way other than the fact that he was on the Slytherin Quidditch team. He was good looking, however she never knew him well enough to get to know him. Instead, she generalized him to be like the rest of the arrogant pureblood Slytherins, which to be fair, was highly likely.

"You'll see what I mean when you get there. The body has been highly tortured, however from what I can see, most of it was inflicted prior mortem. We've secured the estate, and made sure that no one gets in unless we intend them to, and we have several Aurors posted just in case the murderer returns," Harry said, as he stood up and offered her his hand. "The estate is named Pucey Manor. Not very original, but apparently purebloods enjoy naming their houses as such."

She followed him to the fireplace, and grabbed some more floo powder from the cup to use once more. Hermione waited for Harry to go through before she followed.

Her first thought was that the house was unnaturally silent. She was used to her flat, where the lack of sound was justified, or the Burrow, which was booming with life. Even at 12 Grimauld Place always had some sort of noise, even if was just a painting.

The house seemed dark too, as if it knew that it's Master had died.

Hermione looked over at Harry, "How did they find the body?" she questioned, knowing it probably wasn't due to another occupant of the house.

"One of the house elves came to ask Pucey what he wanted for supper, when it found the body. Poor thing was so devastated when it came in to report it. Could barely ask it any questions without it bursting into tears," Harry said, as he led her to where the body was.

She entered what she assumed to be the master bedroom, to find Pucey's body mangled on the ground. There were a vast amount of cuts on his body, some seeming to be self-inflicted. His left arm was bent at such an angle that Hermione knew to be broken.

Hermione could see what Harry meant about being unsure if it was Adrian Pucey or not, because his face was so badly damaged, that it was near impossible to tell. His skull seemed to be cracked, even though it did not look to be the cause of death. There was blood staining his cheeks and hair, which derived from various scratches on his face.

"Where's the rest of my team?" she asked Harry, as she got out her wand to analyze the scene.

"Dean Thomas is looking around the lower floors, Patrick Haynes is looking through the area which we presume is used during social gatherings, and we left Zachariah Smith with you, so the two of you can go through this room, and then send him to cover the rest of the floor later."

Hermione wanted to groan at the fact that she would be forced to work together with Smith. Sure he wasn't as bad as he was in Hogwarts, however he was still annoying. And to top it off, he was sexist, and had trouble accepting Hermione as his supervisor, and Harry as the head of the department. However he was good at his job, and because of this, Hermione tolerated him.

"Granger, I thought I would go through the other rooms, then meet up with you here after so I can take a look at this room, and give it a second opinion. You know what they say about a new pair of eyes being able to find things others had missed," Smith said, as he made his entrance into the room.

There it was; a tiny jab that might go unnoticed to someone who was just watching the interaction, but she knew exactly what it meant. However, she held in any snide mark she may have been tempted to make. It was way too late at night for her to care.

Harry squeezed her shoulder, "I'm going to go talk to the Aurors sweeping the grounds. They may have found something that the perpetrator left behind."

She nodded, but didn't say anything, as she had already began to analyse the room. It was rather large, however based upon the rest of the estate, she assumed it to be typical. The room was probably the size of her entire flat all together, even if that wasn't really saying much to begin with. There was little pictures of family and what not, however there were a few shots of him with the Quidditch team, and a few of him in recent years with a few friends, only a few he could identify. The lack of family suggested a strained or distant relationship with any relatives he had, so she made a note to get someone to look into all living relatives. There was not a lot of décor in to the room, but what it did have was all high end, and highly coordinated. The room was decorated a Slytherin green, and the entire room followed a colour scheme that matched.

Hermione walked over to his closed doors, and opened it to find clothes lining the shelves, all neatly organized by type, material, colour, and probably a dozen other features. Seeing as his house elves couldn't touch the clothes, it suggested that either he, or another person, was careful enough to put away the clothes as such, showing a highly organized or compulsive mindset.

She made her way over to the dresser, on which seemed to be several letters. Because it was in the bedroom, Hermione knew them to be more personal and less business, which would be in the study. She grabbed the one on top and saw it to be a letter to Draco Malfoy.

Hermione's eyebrows rose. She hadn't thought that the two knew each other, but then again, they both were Slytherins, so it would be a logical guess. To be fair, she didn't really know much about Malfoy anyways. She didn't really keep tabs on those she went to school with, unless they were friends, and she and Malfoy certainly were no such thing. Going through the letters, she could see nothing that lead to suggestions that the two had a negative relationship.

"Find anything useful?" Harry asked from the door as he returned.

She shook her head, "The murderer didn't leave behind anything that I can see from first glance. I think you can move the body now, but leave the scene closed off for now. I'm going to return to it later. Also, can you send a letter to Draco Malfoy, and the rest of the people who were in touch with Pucey based on these letters? It might be good to talk to them and see if they had any insight on what happened, or why it did," She said, as she handed over the letters from the dresser.

Harry nodded, "Sure; I'll get someone on that right now. I'm also trying to find any living relatives to notify as well."

"Oh and can you send Smith in here? I'm sure that prat has been waiting to come look at the scene and find whatever it is that he thinks I'm missing," Hermione said.

Harry laughed, "Don't let that git get to you. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? The scene will still be here when you wake up. Besides, we can only schedule an interview with the people you want t see tomorrow anyways,"

She closed her eyes, "Sleep sounds like a great idea," she said as she rubbed her temples.

* * *

Draco stepped into the Auror's Office at the Ministry of Magic, holding a letter in his hand. When he had received it, he had been On Call at work, and he hadn't gotten any sleep since. He remembered reading over the words, and dropping the coffee he had been holding. Adrian Pucey had been murdered.

The letter had been from the Auror's Office, asking him to come in for some questioning. He was nervous, seeing as the last time he had been questioned was during his trial. Did they think he was guilty? Had something in Adrian's home somewhat implicated him?

He walked to the secretary's desk, "I got a letter to come in for questioning about Adrian Pucey's death?" he asked the blonde.

She looked up from the paperwork in front of her, and gave him a smile, "Yes, Mr. Malfoy, right? I'll let Miss. Granger know that you're here."

Okay, it seemed to be going well so far. Wait…Granger? As in Hermione Granger? Her last name wasn't exactly common, but what where the chances that it was her?

Before he could think about it any further, Granger came out of her office. Damn, it was her.

"Mr. Malfoy?" he heard her ask. She saw him standing by the secretary and gave him smile.

He saw her beckon for him to follow, and obeyed stoically as he walked into her office.

"Please, take a seat," she said gently. Apparently she must have noticed his discomfort, because she smiled at him again. "You can relax, Malfoy. I'm not here to question you about being involved. If I had even suspected that you to be the reason behind Adrian Pucey's death, then there would be a lot more Aurors in here, including Harry."

He let out a breath that he didn't know that he had been holding in, "Nice to know, Granger. So may I ask why it is that I am here?"

"When we were investigating Pucey's house, we didn't find much telling us about his personal life. He seemed very closed off from the world, and the only things we could find were letters that showed his correspondence between the two of you, as well as a couple of other Slytherins. Because of this, I was hoping that you could give me some insight into his life, such as his personal life, and the people he was acquainted with," She said calmly.

It bothered him to an extent. She wasn't exactly treating him like an old friend, but at the same time she was kinder to him than she had ever been. The best way to describe it would be to say that she was treating him as if they were strangers; something which because of their history they most certainly were not.

"Like you found, Adrian was very closed off," Draco replied. "He never liked attention much, or liked to stand out. He didn't really have job per say, but had taken over the accounts of his family, and made investments to gain a profit. He didn't really date either, but had a few flings with a few pureblood girls. Because his family wasn't all that well know, however, he was able to stay out of the limelight," Draco said.

"I wouldn't exactly say that we were friends either," Draco said honestly. "Our families knew each other, and as such, we had met in the many social gatherings we had been to over the years."

Granger had been sitting in front of him, writing what he was saying at a rapid pace. He took the break to take her in. She hadn't really changed so much from her younger self, but had grown into what she had. Her body had filled out beautifully, and her once frizzy hair had calmed down into gentle curls. She didn't wear much, if any, make up, but her face had a natural beauty that suited her.

Her desk wasn't filled with many mementos. There was a picture of her and Potter, and also one with what he assumed to be her parents. He noted the lack of Weasley in any of the pictures. What had happened to the Golden Couple? He remembered reading about a split between the two, and the disgusting pictures of him and his many string of flings. Had it been an unpleasant break up?

"Malfoy?" he heard Granger call out to him.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Draco asked, as he looked at her.

"Did he have any enemies? Any crazy girlfriends, or people he might have offended?" she asked, not seeming surprised at his momentary lack of attention.

Draco frowned, "Not that I can recall. If I think about it, there were very few people who might have had a problem with him. To be honest, he didn't interact much with others, so I can't really think of any one off the top of my head."

Hermione seemed disappointed at this, "Can you tell me about the wards around his house? Could nearly anyone get in?"

"Just the opposite. He preferred them up at all times, so to even get in, you needed to give him a floo call, then he would let you through."

"Is there a chance he might have taken them down for any reason?" she questioned.

"It's possible," Draco said, not really believing it to be true.

She frowned at this, "I see. Thank you for your help then, Mr. Malfoy. I shall contact you if there is anything else need you for."

"Good luck on your investigation, Granger," Draco said, addressing her in the least formal way since he had arrived. But he lingered slightly, wanting to say something.

She looked back up from her papers, "Is there something else you need?" she asked him politely.

"I wanted to thank you," he confessed.

"Thank me?" she asked, puzzled.

"For what you said during my trial. I'm sure that if you and Potter had not spoken for me, I would have been chucked straight into Azkaban without a second thought and left to rot. It is because of your testimony that I even had a chance to have a normal life and make something of it. So thank you for that, Granger. I wish I could have said it that day, but I didn't have the guts to face you, not after what happened at the Manor…" his voice trailed off.

She looked a bit distant for a minute, but smiled. "It was what was right. You didn't deserve to go to Azkaban; not for doing what you thought would keep you alive. You deserved better than that, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I let an innocent man rot there."

He felt a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I'll leave you be with the investigation. I hope you catch whoever did this. Good bye, Granger."

"Good bye, Malfoy," she heard him say as he left her office.

What was it about her that brought back everything he had once felt for her?

* * *

**A/N:** Omg guys thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favourites! I really enjoy writing this story, and I find that the words just seem to write themselves. I was a bit worried that I would be delayed with this chapter seeing that I had to move back into university today, but I did it!

Happy New Year to you all, and hope this year brings you happiness and joy!


	3. Baggage

**Chapter 3**

Draco poured a 1950 bottle Odgen's Old Firewhisky into three crystal cups, and handed one to both Blaise and Theo, while keeping one for himself.

The three men were currently in the sitting room at Malfoy Manor, having gathered to discuss the events of the last 24 hours, and all that had happened. The room, and the rest of the house, had been redecorated completely after the end of the war. It had too many bad memories to be left the way it was.

He had had a long day after leaving Granger's office, and all he wanted to do was be able to unwind with something to drink. Immediately after he left he had received owls from both Blaise and Theo about what had happened. He still had a ten hour shift that day, and had got home to have once again missed dinner, so he had to get one of his house elves to heat it up for him.

"To Adrian Pucey," Draco said, as he lifted his glass into the air. Blaise and Theo followed suit before they proceeded to down the drink.

Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott had been acquaintances with Draco for years. In the Slytherin House, allies were everything, and the stronger yours was, the better. All three families were considered to be good, strong, old pureblood families, therefore making an alliance imminent between the three.

They had grown into real friends during the war, however. All three were forced into a life they didn't want, and had to do things they never would have done. They understood each other, understood the pain and loss of the others, and understood their struggles.

After the war had ended, Theo and Blaise didn't have the luxury of Potter or Granger stand up for them personally, but Granger had insisted that a law be made where any Death Eater who joined the Dark Lord before they were of age must have their circumstances taken into account during their trials, as they could have been coerced into joining, as most of them had been.

It had saved a good deal of Death Eaters in the end from Azkaban. In spite of this, they had constant monitoring from the Ministry for two years to make sure that they did not pursue in any illegal active ty, but other than that, they were free.

Blaise had taken up a job at Gringotts, where he taken up a job in curse breaking, something which had always fascinated him from a young age. It had taken him a lot of training to get to where he was, but in the short time he had been at his job, he had proved his worth and had been promoted to a close to high position.

Theo on the other hand had chosen simply to invest his money in stocks that were sure to pay well, and profited heavily off of it.

"I just can't believe he's gone," Blaise said, as he poured himself another full glass. "It seems just like yesterday he was encouraging me to join the Quidditch team."

"I know what you mean," Theo said in agreement, as he followed suit with the drink. "I remember him tutoring me in potions when I was sure I was going to fail the final. His exact words were 'Slytherins don't fail. We thrive, and while we may not share our success with those around us, we help others to succeed, especially if it means Gryffindor falls behind in points.'"

Draco laughed at that. "That's the great thing about Slytherins. They care for themselves and their gains, but also care to make sure that others strive when it comes to things like House Unity."

"Merlin, I remember how into he used to get about so into Quidditch games, even though he wasn't the captain!"

It was fair to say that the three men had all looked up to Adrian Pucey at one point or another. He had been the Slytherin they were all compared to, but the one they strived to be like. He had helped them when they had first became Death Eaters, as he had already gone through, h it himself, and like them, he was there out of obligation. He was the older brother they all looked up to, and the one they all wanted to be like.

He had made them better people; taught them that they should strive for their ambitions, but not to let yourself be taken over by emotions.

Adrian Pucey was in no way a saint either; he had his many faults. He was greedy, and he was ambitious enough to take what he wanted. He cut others down if necessary, and he didn't try to help them back up.

But despite of that, he had been their friend, and their mentor.

Draco took another gulp of the alcohol in his glass, downing it in one shot.

"It was definitely weird being in the Ministry," Blaise said, as he broke the silence.

"There was one Auror who I definitely would have liked to punch in the face. I think it was that Hufflepuff Smith from school, or whatever, but he certainly rubbed me the wrong way," Theo said.

Draco sat up. He hadn't seen anyone he had known from his Hogwarts days other than Granger. "What did he say?"

"He made an indication that he thought I was behind the murder," Theo said, anger blazing in his eyes. "I told him to stuff it, and that if he had proof then I would already be in Azkaban, so instead of making stupid accusations, he should be doing his job."

Draco have him a look of approval, "Good going, Nott," he said. "I hope you complained to someone."

Theo smirked, "Of course. I might have told Potter that he better get control of his employees and stop them from making false accusations."

"Nice," Blaise said with a grin. "Speaking of, did you guys see Granger today?" he asked them.

Draco looked up at the mention of her name.

"Yeah, she was the one who I talked to. Funny how much she's changed," Theo remarked.

"She's gotten a lot hotter," Blaise said. "Like she was hot in school, but she seems to have really grown well into her body."

"I'm surprised that Weasley would end things with her. Have you seen the trash he parades around with these days? They all look like such tramps compared to her," Theo said in response.

Draco looked at them in shock. Granger and Weasel broke up? This was news to him. Last he heard, after the war the two of them had been in several magazines articles, and in one it had been mentioned. The only way he was able to remember this was because of her picture by the article. Her face had a smile in it, but her eyes had been so very sad. It was as if she was putting up some sort of mask that the rest of the world seemed to believe.

"She probably realised she was too good for him; you remember him in class right? He was a bloody idiot! Someone as smart as her probably realised that she could do so much better," Blaise said with a devious smirk.

"Don't even think about it, Blaise," Draco warned. "She probably has enough to worry about without needing you to flippantly ask her out and adding more stress in her life."

Blaise rolled his eyes at him, but not before he and Theo shared a knowing look.

"What?" Draco asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"You like her," Blaise said flat out. "You liked her when we were in school, and I don't know if you ever stopped."

"What do you mean?" he asked them with shock.

"You were always staring at her in school. Don't think we don't know that the only reason you singled her out so much was to get her attention. And don't feed us any shite about it being because she was Potter's friend; we all know that it's not true," Theo said.

"Remember that time at the Yule Ball?" Blaise asked him. "You couldn't take your eyes off her. Pansy got so angry that you weren't paying her the proper attention she deserved."

Draco protested, "I did not like her! Besides, I haven't seen her in years. Wouldn't I have made time to see her if I had feelings for her."

"I don't know, would you have?" Theo asked him.

Draco was about to protest again when he heard a sound from the stairs.

"Daddy?" a young voice called out. Draco looked up to see a younger carbon copy of himself on the stairs, holding a blanked in one hand, and using the other to rub his right eye.

Draco rushed to the stairs to check on his son, "What's wrong, Scorpius?"

"Nothing, Daddy," the young boy said. "I just heard voices and I wanted to see who was here."

Draco gave his boy a kiss on the top of his head, "Why don't you head back to bed, Scor. If you're still up by time Uncle Theo and Blaise leave, then I'll read you your favourite story. How does that sound?"

His son gave him a smile, "Night daddy! Night Uncle Theo! Night Uncle Blaise!" He then turned around and headed back up the stairs after receiving a good night from the three men.

Draco made his way back to his friends. "I don't like Hermione Granger. And even if I did, I wouldn't exactly be able to date her, all things aside, because it's not only about me anymore. I also need to look out for Scorpius and what would be best for him."

* * *

It had been a long day. After interviewing Malfoy, she had gone on to talk to several of Adrian Pucey's acquaintances. She couldn't even label them as friends, because none of them seemed close enough to be such. He had no living relatives other than a father who was currently in Azkaban. She had gotten Harry to get an Auror to make a trip down to the island to tell his father, but he had been tortured too much for it to have affected him.

There was absolutely nothing. No fingerprints, no hairs, no signs of struggle, if you didn't count the body. There was no sign of breaking and entering, or anything that would be of any help. The murderer had used the floo network, that much was clear. But when they traced it, they found that it had been accessed from the Leaky Cauldron, something which at least a hundred witches and wizards used each day.

Hermione collapsed on her couch, and rubbed her temples. She could feel a headache coming on, but she didn't have time to deal with that. Not when someone had been killed, and no motive could be found.

Those were the most dangerous crimes of all. When you didn't know who killed someone, then you don't know who could have done it, or whether they planned to have a repeat of the crime. And that was the last thing she needed right now.

She heard her floo come to life, and instantly stood up. She relaxed her tense shoulders when she saw that it was Molly Weasley.

"Hello, Molly," she said politely. She hadn't seen much of the Matriarch of the Weasleys since her break up with Ron. Well, she hadn't seen any Weasley since then. She figured they probably didn't want much to do with her after their break up, so she stayed away.

Molly seemed to ignore her, as she rushed over to where Hermione was standing and enveloped her into a tight hug. "How are you doing, dear?" she asked after she pulled away. "You seem thinner," she frowned. "Have you been eating alright?"

Hermione smiled slightly, knowing that she hadn't changed one bit. "I'm doing well, all things considered. And you always say that"

"Because it's true!" Molly stated. "I haven't seen you in months. I hope you haven't been avoiding me because of what happened between you and Ron."

Hermione shook her head, trying to deny it, "No, it wasn't. I just had a lot of work these last few months and haven't really done much of anything else."

"Don't lie to me, sweetheart," she said softly. "I know hard these last few months must have been. Merlin knows I hate seeing all those tramps he brings home. They're all so superficial and don't have two brain cells to rub together. But I want you to know, Hermione, you always have a place in our home, even if you aren't with Ron. I know how hard it must be to not have your parents around, and we are your family."

Hermione's eyes watered slightly. She had felt so alone for so long, and it meant a lot to know she still had the Weasleys. Ever since she was younger, they had become a second family to her, and when she lost Ron, she was devastated when she thought it meant losing them as well. That had killed her the most.

"Thank you, Molly. I'll remember that from now on."

"Come to the Burrow tonight. I know everyone will be dying to see you," she said suddenly. When she saw that Hermione was about to decline, she added, "Ron won't be there. He has a game in Bulgaria tomorrow, so is staying there for the night."

Hermione placed the shadow of a smile she once had on her face, "Okay. I'll come for the night."

Molly beamed at her, "I'm glad. I've always thought of you as a daughter. And this will give me an opportunity to fatten you up a bit."

Hermione smiled, more real this time, "I shall be there for 6:30, will that work for you?"

Molly nodded, "Sounds perfect."

* * *

Hermione stood awkwardly by the floo at exactly 6:29. She knew it shouldn't be that big of a deal to floo over to The Burrow, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't know why she was so nervous; it wasn't like Ron was going to be there. She closed her eyes. It was going to be strange to see everyone again after spending so long avoiding them all.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the floo, then dropped the powder. "The Burrow."

Hermione coughed slightly as she stepped out, and wiped the excess powder off her robes.

Before she could even look up, she saw herself being tackled by a heavily pregnant woman.

"Merlin, Hermione!" Ginny basically screamed. "I thought Mum was pulling one over on us when she said you were coming tonight. It's been so long since I've seen you."

Hermione hugged her best female friend back, "Good to see you too, Gin," she said with a smile.

As Ginny pulled away, she hit Hermione lightly, "That's for avoiding me. Don't do it ever do it again. I might be pregnant, but I will track down your sorry ass and kick it. And don't think Harry will protect you."

She heard a lower laugh from behind her, "That's my wife's subtle way of saying she missed you."

Hermione turned slightly, even though she already recognized Harry as the owner of the voice.

"I missed you too, Ginny," Hermione said softly. "I hope you know it wasn't about you-"

"No, it was about our ass of a brother," George said as he came up to them. "Good to see you, Mione."

"Nice to see you too, George," Hermione said with a smile. After the war, she and George had bonded together about their losses, and in turn had become closer.

"Let's go sit at the table, shall we?" Molly said as she entered the room to usher them all into the kitchen.

The evening progressed uphill from there. Every so often, one of the siblings, and even a few times Molly and Arthur, would make a backhanded comment about how ashamed of Ron they were, or how stupid a thing he did was. But for the most part, they talked about other things, as if to get her mind off the topic and on to other matters. And it worked, because as the night went on, she found herself thinking less and less about him.

That is, until the floo lit up.

"Sorry, Mum, I know I said I wouldn't be able to make it this week, but I just couldn't resist your cooking. Hope you don't mind that I stopped in and brought a guest with me," a voice called out from the hall.

Hermione froze up. It had been a while since she heard that voice, but the mere sound brought the memories rushing back in.

_"it isn't about you, Hermione. Can't you see that I have an image to maintain? I'm a rising player, and I need my life to reflect that. What does it say about me if I'm will a woman who cares nothing about her appearance? It shows messiness, and it reflects badly on my life."_

She closed her eyes shut. No, no, no, there had to be some mistake. He couldn't be here. Not now. She wasn't ready for this; she wasn't ready to see him again. Not after everything they had gone through.

Ron entered the room, and on his arm was a tall, blonde, model looking girl.

"I want you all to meet Ava," he said to the room. "I met her recently, and thought it would be appropriate introduce her to you consideri-"

His eyes landed on her, and he froze, "Hermione," he said simply, a bit stunned. "I didn't expect you to be here today."

"I was just leaving," Hermione muttered, as she pushed out her chair and stood up. "Thank you for the meal, Molly, it was lovely. And thank you for everything else."

She walked out of the room, being careful to avoid any eye contact with him.

"Hermione wait!" she heard Ron say loudly.

She didn't stop though. She continued straight to the fireplace, and flooed out, without once looking back.


	4. The Hospital

**Chapter 4**

Harry sat at his desk, running his hand through his full head of raven hair. Ginny had often joked about how he was lucky to have any hair, after the stress of his job. He would be lying if he said that it was a walk in the park, because Merlin forbid something was easy for a change.

He couldn't complain though. Not when he chose this job. He had signed up for it, and all the responsibilities associated with it. After years of fighting against Voldemort, it seemed hard to settle into a normal life; believe him when he said he tried. After the war, he took a good several months to recover from all the stress and losses of the war. He didn't blame himself for any of it; Merlin knows he was just as much of a victim as anyone else; he just happened to have a target on his back.

In those months off he reconciled with Ginny. She had yelled at him for his recklessness, but had launched herself into his arms, and forgave him. He had felt so lucky to have her back in his life, and the fact that she was relatively unharmed made it easier for him to forgive himself for all the pain he had put her through.

Within a few months of their relationship, he had sought out her parents for her hand in marriage, and they had immediately accepted. He proposed to her within the week, with the help of Hermione to pick out a ring. Ginny had cried when he asked her in the Burrow, in front of all their friends and family, but she had accepted without much thinking.

The couple elected for a short engagement, and married within the year. But even with that, they had decided to wait for a bit before having children. Both their lives had been spent with other things on their mind; Harry with the looming threat of Voldemort, and Ginny in the shadows of her six older siblings. Between all of that, they just wanted some time for themselves, to live together and not have to worry about a family just yet.

They had enjoyed the last four years blissfully together, but then four months ago Ginny had found out she was pregnant, and Harry could not have been happier. They had reached a stage where they were financially stable, but also emotionally ready for the responsibilities a child would bring for them. While Ginny had been a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, she had been granted a maternity leave, with the promise that her position will be waiting for her when she was ready to return.

It had been a good five years for him and his family.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard his secretary knocking on his office door, "Mr. Potter?"

He looked up to see Diane standing at the door, with a rather frazzled looking wizard standing behind him. Harry looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly 8 pm. What would someone want with him at this hour?

"Send him in, Diane," Harry said, as he ushered in the man at the door. Once the man was seated Harry began to talk to him.

"Now, what seems to be the problem, Mr…?" Harry asked.

"Kettlegreen, Peter Kettlegreen, Mr. Potter," The man said as his voice was shaking. "I own this shop, yeh see, Peter's Potions. It's right in the middle of Diagon Alley. Had it for years now, and never once there's been a problem. But yeh can never be too safe, yeh see. So I placed a couple of security wards on the premises in case there was a break in. Heard about them in the Prophet, I did. I closed up the shop, like I usually do tonight, and placed the usual charm over the place to alert me if anyone enters the building. I usually remove it first thing in the morning; that way I know it's up when I need it and not when I don't. So when I got home and my wand lit up, I knhew somethin' was up."

Harry nodded, taking in what th/e man was saying. "I see. So what happened next?"

"It's not the first time the alarm's gone off. Every now and 'hen some kids set it off by stumbling around the alley after leaving the Leaky Cauldron. However I always check; never can be too safe yeh see. But something was different this time. When I got there, I realised someone was inside my store, Mr. Potter! Someone's been thievin' from me!"

Harry looked up slowly. "Mr. Kettlegreen, is someone in the store right now?"

The man nodded rapidly, "That's why I came to yeh Mr. Potter!"

Harry got up of his chair, to go alert a few aurors to go to the premise. Breaking and Enterings had not been that common. However, over the past several months the amount had been on a rise. Especially in potion supply stores…

"Mr. Kettlegreen, I hate to ask, but what exactly does your store sell?"

"Some pre-made potions which I brew myself," he said proudly. "Also cauldrons, mixing sticks, and the supplies necessary to make the potions…"

What were the chances that the majority of the break-ins were for potions stores? The only logical conclusion was that they were all connected. But why steal from a potion's store? None of the supplies were that expensive individually; a few rarer items had been taken, but nothing of significant value. Unless…

…unless they didn't want to have any records of buying the items. That meant that whatever they had planned for those items could not be used for anything good.

His gut feeling was telling him that there was a lot more to this than a simple breaking and entering, and that was more than enough for him to go check it out himself. After all, it was rarely wrong

In that second he changed his mind. He would not send a team of Aurors. No, he would go investigate himself. He grabbed some parchment and scribbled a quick letter off to Hermione, who he knew had been working those cases in her free time, and one to Ginny apologising about having to work late, before grabbing his wand and flying out the door.

* * *

Hermione didn't know if she should be angry or concerned for Harry at the minute.

When she had received his owl, she had been in the middle of going through some cases files in her living room. It had been exactly one week since she had seen Ron at the Burrow and had been doing everything in her power to avoid it, and avoid him. The last thing she needed was to have a half-assed conversation with him, where he attempts to justify his actions to make himself feel better. She knew from past experience just it would turn out. He would ask her how she was doing, and he would look down and shuffle about awkwardly. Then he would pretend he's glad when she lies and says she's doing well, which she clearly isn't. Then he would try and say that it was for the best, and that they weren't all that suited for each other, and she would probably agree to avoid conflict. But she would inevitably say something to piss him off and it would lead to him pointing fingers and say somehow that it was her fault that he broke up with her, and if she weren't such a _, probably bitch, that he would have stayed with her.

No, she rather would have avoid it all together.

It was probably because of her clouded mind that she took so long to see the owl holding the letter, and because of that she took so long to find Harry.

When she had arrived on site, she could tell something was wrong. It was too…quiet; especially for a break in. If Harry was indeed on site somewhere, then she knew that she would have to be stealthy. The last thing she wanted was to alert the bugler that she was there.

"_Homenum Revelio,"_ she muttered. The spell showed the presence of one person, but she couldn't be sure just who it was.

She had walked around the premise once completely, as protocol dictated, before entering the building. Upon her entry, she could see several shattered bottles, as if the thief was in a hurry and was being careless. In the letter, Harry had quickly said that he thought all the thefts were connected. But in all the other locations, it was done cleanly. There was something different about time.

The thief was either long gone, or in custody, because from what she could see, it didn't appear as anyone was in the building. But that begged the question of just where Harry was. She lit her wand, and looked around a bit, remaining quiet just in case she had been wrong.

Hermione had freaked out when she saw something she didn't expect; Harry knocked out on the ground. She had panicked at that, and immediately checked for a pulse.

At that moment, the Aurors had arrived on site, and she had quickly assigned them various roles, such as making sure the thief was gone, and to collect any evidence they found. She had apparated him to St. Mungo's and had admitted him in a hurry, probably scaring the nurses while at it.

That had been over an hour ago.

"Granger, Weasley?"

She looked up, to see Malfoy standing above her, holding a clipboard, and wearing white robes.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise. She had owled Ginny about what had happened, who was currently sitting beside her at the minute. But besides the two of them, no one had known that Harry was admitted. Because of that, she was shocked to see Malfoy standing beside her in the hospital.

"I'm the healer assigned to Mr. Potter's case," he said with a slight smile.

She looked shocked. Well, that would explain the white robes, and clipboard. "I didn't know you went into healing!" she exclaimed.

"We didn't exactly talk about my career when I came into your office, now did we?" he stated. "It took a lot of hard work to achieve the grades I needed to convince the board that I was worth being let into the training program five years ago, despite my family's past. Honestly, if it weren't for your's and Potter's statement at my trial, I'm sure they wouldn't have given me the chance regardless of it all."

"Like I said last week, you didn't deserve what happened to you. You were as much of a victim as the rest of us, and you shouldn't lose the chance to make something of your life because of your circumstances."

Ginny cut in at this point, "Could you please tell me about Harry?"

She saw him swallow hard, like he wanted to say something to her, but instead he just said, "It's rare for me to take a case like his, but I was one of the few healers on-call tonight so they gave it to me. But he seems fine for the most part. He was stunned, however there were traces of dark magic in the spell the caster had used, as if they changed their mind last minute to change the spell. He's still unconscious, but there was no lasting damage. We removed the remnants of dark to magic so he'll be good as new. We just need to keep him overnight just be safe," he said.

"Would I be able to go sit with him?" Ginny asked him.

Draco nodded, "Of course, Mrs. Potter."

Ginny looked at Hermione, but she shook her head, "You go to him. I have a few things I need to take care of anyways."

Ginny shot her a weak smile, before going into the room.

Hermione let out a breath of air as she turned to Draco, "Thank you," she said sincerely. "I don't know what I would have done if something worse had happened to him."

"It's a bit ironic isn't it," Malfoy said with a slight smile, "that for once, I'm the one helping him."

She laughed at that, "Yes, I suppose it is."

"So what are you going to do now?" Malfoy questioned. "Are you going to spend the night watching over Potter, or are you going to head back to your place."

She frowned, "I was planning on staying with him, but after everything, I'm not quite sure if he needs me to. Like you said, he's going to be fine. But I do want to yell at him when he wakes up for being so reckless. Merlin knows how furious Ginny is going to be at him."

He looked hesitant, as if he wanted to ask her something.

"Is there something you wanted?" she asked him politely.

"When I said this kind of case was rare for me, I meant it. For the most part, I deal with rare magical diseases or ailments which aren't as common to the magical world. Because of that, I see a lot of strange things, but I also see a lot of poor wizards and witches who suffer because of it," Malfoy started.

Hermione nodded for him to continue, even if she had no idea where he was going.

"One of my patients, Jamie, has a rare condition, and I'm not quite sure how to heal it. He has days where he looks like he will pull through, but he also has days where he looks like he's upon death's door. Because of this, I go out of my way to research his case to see if there have been any similar outbreaks anywhere else, but I also try to spend time with him. He's an orphan, so he has no family and few friends at the orphanage. He's spend a good amount of his life here, so he never really had the chance to get to know anyone. Jamie loves to read, and I know Hogwarts: A History is one of his favourite books, and he dreams to go there. I thought that maybe, since you liked it too, you could go talk to him?" he asked her sounding nervous.

Her breath caught in her thought at the sound of this poor kid's life, "How did you know I liked Hogwart's: A History?" she asked curiously

"You carried that book around with you nearly everywhere and were always quoting knowledge from it. I swear, it was almost as if you had that book memorized," he joked.

She wanted to ask him how he knew that, or why he had bothered even paying attention to her in school after everything. But she didn't, because it didn't matter.

"I would love to visit Jamie. Merlin knows it's been ages since I've meet someone interested in discussing literature, particularly that book, with," she said, as a smile tugged at her lips

The brightest grin lit up his face, "You have no idea how much this will mean to him, Granger," Malfoy said.

"Are you sure it isn't too late to go see him?" she asked him with a frown. "It's nearly 10 pm!"

He laughed, "Try telling it to that kid! I swear, he stays up as late as he want, and doesn't even think to sleep."

She nodded with smile, "Lead the way!"

The room was on an opposite wing, but it didn't take that long for them to get there. Hermione was slightly nervous. After years of being followed by news reporters, she still had issues with dealing with her fame.

Malfoy turned a door knob, but stood in the doorway, "Jamie?" he asked a kid who looked to be around eight years old.

"Yes, Healer Malfoy?" the boy said with a grin upon seeing him. "Have you come here to give me a new book?"

Malfoy shook his head, "Remember a few days ago when I said that I knew someone once who loved Hogwarts: A History just as much as you?"

The brunette nodded, "Of course. Your friend, Hermione, right?"

Malfoy didn't bother correcting him, "I got a surprise for you," he widened the door, to reveal Hermione to the boy. "I brought her here to visit you. I thought it would be nice for you to get to talk to her. So Jamie, meet Miss. Hermione Granger."

She entered the room, and gave the boy a wide smile. Malfoy pulled out a chair close to the bed, for her to sit on, before choosing another for himself.

"Merlin, Hermione_ Granger_?" the boy breathed. "Healer Malfoy, you didn't mention that it was Hermione Granger who you knew! Do you have any idea how much cool stuff she did in school?"

Hermione smiled at his enthusiasm, "I imagine it's going to be a fraction to the amount of adventures you have, right?" she asked him.

Jamie's face lit up, "I hope so! I've been dreaming about going there for so long! Is it true that you figured out how to get past Headmistress McGonagall's own chess set? Or that you were the one who organized the rebellious Dumbledore's Army? Did you use the secret passages all the time? I would them to sneak around, but probably just to get to class quicker if I'm late!"

Jamie continued to ramble on for a bit, but Hermione didn't mind. She had been so enthusiastic about Hogwarts when she was eleven, but if she had known about it from a younger age, she probably would have counted down the day until she got to go.

The next few hours passed as she, Malfoy, and Jamie talked about Hogwarts and all that had happened during their eventful time there. She and Malfoy had some friendly banter, but also got into a few heated debates. Jamie seemed to be loving it all, and fought passionately on what his stances were. She was enjoying herself, more than she had in months, and it wasn't until Jamie announced that he was exhausted that she even realised what time it was.

She and Malfoy walked back together to check on Harry, before she left to go home and get some well-deserved sleep.


	5. Marcus Flint

**Chapter 5**

Hermione sat curled up on the window sill of her flat as she twirled a quill that was in between her fingers. She was holding up a copy '10001 rare illnesses' in her left hand and underlining anything that could be important. She didn't know what she would find; honestly, Malfoy probably had read through all of these already, so it wasn't as if it would be much use.

Ever since she had left the hospital two days ago, she had been possessed to find out anything she could about Jamie's illness. Malfoy hadn't asked her or anything. She had just decided that it was something she wanted to do; something she _needed _to do. There was just something about the kid that made him different. He was so intelligent and so curious. He reminded her a bit of herself at his age. Since she had learned to read, she had become determined to learn everything about anything she could think of. By time she had entered grade school, she was already several levels above the others in her year. Needless to say, it hadn't made her very popular, but she didn't care. Her curiosity surpassed her desire to make friends.

But she still felt alone from time to time; what child wouldn't? She tried to convince herself she was superior to them, so she wouldn't feel bad about it, and with time she had come to believe it. Upon entering Hogwarts, she had been excited. Here was an opportunity for her to be among those just like herself. So she tried to continue as she was, and found that even here, it didn't make much of a difference. Harry and Ron were her first friends, and even then, it had taken a while for that to happen.

Jamie was different though. He hadn't been exposed to the cruelty of other children, so could remain blissfully sweet and innocent. She wanted to grab him in her arms and shelter him from it all. It broke her heart that he was orphaned. Her own parents had encouraged her beyond anything to pursue her interests, and without them she didn't know what she would have done. She had made Jamie a promise to visit him again, and she intended to keep it. But she had also made herself a promise to try and aid Malfoy.

Hermione frowned. Would Malfoy be upset that she was researching his case unofficially? It was his job after all. It definitely would piss of other people. But Malfoy seemed to genuinely care about Jamie, more than just a typical healer-patient relationship. So would he be happy for her help? Maybe it would be best to ask him directly.

She grabbed some parchment from the space beside where she sat.

_Dear Malfoy,_

_I hope you don't mind that I continue to visit Jamie. He's such a good kid, and I truly enjoyed visiting with him the other day. However, if this poses to be a problem, I can terminate my visits._

_I also had another request of you. I know Jamie is your patient, but I want to help you. I'm sure you know my position at the Ministry is basically a glorified research position for the Aurors to help them solve cases, as I find material and put together motives. Because of this, I think that I can help you find out about Jamie's illness. It is something I really want to do and would love to help you with this case._

_However, if I am intruding on your case, and you do not wish for me to do so, I will cease this as well. _

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione_

She chewed the quill, slightly nervously. What would he think of the letter? Would he be confused as to why she was even writing to him? Would he even open the letter once he saw who it was from? She frowned slightly. There was no way of really knowing anything until she sent him the letter. She could only hope for the best.

She got off the sill and walked over to an owl cage perched up in the corner of the room. In the cage was a Tawny owl that had named Artemis. She had gotten her a few years ago when it became clear that she would need an owl for professional and personal reasons.

"Hey, Artemis, do you think you could deliver this letter for me?" she asked the bird softly, "I need you to take it to Draco Malfoy. I don't know where he lives exactly, but how many Draco Malfoys could there be out there?"

Artemis hooted happily, so Hermione took that as a yes, and placed the letter on her claw, after letting the bird out of her cage. Hermione watched as the bird flew away, as she settled back with her book. There would be plenty of time for him to say no, but until then, she could continue on with her research. After all, it was she did best.

* * *

Draco watched as Scorpius ran around the garden chasing a few of the wizard toys that his Uncle Blaise had bought him for his birthday. He didn't really understand the fascination of the toy, but it seemed to keep the kid happy, so who was he to question it?

He worried at times that he wasn't the best father he could be to his son. He worked too many hours and he spent so much time on his job. After all, he hadn't exactly had the best father to use as a reference.

Lucius Malfoy was currently rotting away in Azkaban. Despite changing his allegiance at the last minute, it hadn't been enough to save him from a life sentence in Azkaban. To be perfectly honest, Draco didn't care. His father had never been there for him as one ought to be. The only time his father talked to him was to tell him what a disappointment he was, either for Granger beating him once again in classes, or for Potter accomplishing some major task which Draco didn't.

It bugged him at first that he didn't live up. Here was he, pureblood and privileged, yet still he was always falling short. But as time went on, he learned that his father viewed him as a chess piece. He was just something that could be used as a means to an end and to secure whatever else Lucius Malfoy wanted, be it more power, status, or money. Even from Azkaban, Draco was still receiving lettings inquiring to how Draco was doing in terms of those things, and how he planned to restore the Malfoy family name, now that he was the technical head of the family. Lucius didn't know that he and Astoria had split from their marriage. After all, the contract had only dictated that she provide him with an heir; it said nothing about what happened after that. Once Lucius found out, he would not be pleased.

"Daddy, come play!" his child's gentle voice cried out. Draco smiled, knowing how hard it was to refuse his son.

He laughed as he stood up and wiped the dirt off his backside. Scorpius was still chasing the toy, so he joined in with his giggling child.

He chased it for a bit, but directed it more in the direction of his son, so he would get the pleasure of whatever happened when the toy was caught. As Scorpius caught the toy, it tackled him to the ground for a big bear hug.

"Daddy, it gots me," Scorpius said, laughing as he lay on his back with the toy still on top of it.

Draco feigned a look of worry, "Oh no! Scorp, you gotta get out!" Draco ran to the toy and playfully knocked it off and grabbed his son and lifted him off the ground into a hug. "I got you now! You're all mine and you'll never be free from me!"

"Daddy!" Scorpius said gleefully as he wrapped his tiny hands around Draco's neck and hugged him back. "I gots you too, see?"

He wrapped his arms tighter on his son. Thankfully, the divorce papers had said Astoria didn't want him full time, but had reserved the right to still be in his life every now and then. For all intents and purposes, Scorpius was all his. He didn't know what he would do if he lost his child, heir or not.

"How bout we go get a snack, Scorp? I asked Druin to get fix us up something super yummy," Draco said as he referred to the house elf.

He started clapping his hands joyfully, "Yay, Daddy, snack! Snack, snack, snack, snack," Scorpius chanted.

Draco knew his son was far too old to carry anymore, but despite this, he carried him into the Manor. But even at two years old, Scorpius had him wrapped around his tiny little fingers.

As he placed his son on a chair at the counter, Druin presented him with a letter, "This came for you, Master Malfoy, while you were out with the young Master. I was told it was non-urgent, so I waited for to come back in."

"Thank you, Druin," Draco said, as he took a seat beside his son. They each had a glass of pumpkin juice and some sandwiches on a plate. As he took one from the platter, he looked at the letter, and saw it was from Granger.

He raised his eyebrows. What was she writing to him about? He hadn't seen or heard from her since she visited with Jamie. He hadn't gotten a chance to tell her, but her visit had met so much to the boy, and when he dropped in to check on him the next morning, the boy couldn't stop talking about how great she was. Draco had silently agreed with him, but hadn't said anything else, other than she had promised to visit him again.

He opened the letter and scanned it over. It was short and brief, and blabbered on in the way Granger often did when she was unsure of something. He shook his head in amusement, "What a strange lady."

"Who's a strange lady, Daddy?" Scorpius said, as he put down the cup of pumpkin juice he was holding in both his hands.

"Someone from the Ministry, Scorpius," Draco said, as he ruffled his son's hair.

Why was she asking him for permission to visit Jamie? Honestly, she worried far too much. It was good for Jamie to get visitors, because it made him feel less alone. Seeing as the boy knew very few people, it made it harder to get people to come visit.

The next part of her letter perplexed him slightly further. Why would she want to look into Jamie's case? It was a difficult and frustrating one, seeing as he had very little success so far. He had consulted a few other experts, but none of them had an inkling of what the illness was. Granger was always an overachiever, even in school. He knew how much time she spent in the library in her younger days. Maybe it would be good for him to get another person's perspective on the case. He mused over it for a bit. It was unprofessional, but while working at the Ministry she would be privy to more resources than he was. He would have to consult his supervisor on allowing her to help, however, but the Head Healer had a bit of a soft spot for Draco, so that shouldn't really be a problem anyways.

Scorpius finished his food, and Draco knew it was time to put him down for a nap as his eyes began to droop from exhaustion. He picked his son back up, and carried him to his bedroom. As he lay son down and covered him with a blanket, he placed a kiss on his light blond head of hair.

"Night, Scorpy," he said, calling him by the name he gave his child when he was a few months old.

"Night, Daddy" his sleepy voice returned.

Draco turned off all the lights with his wand, except for a magical nightlight in the corner of the room.

He closed the door, and walked to his study so he could pen a reply back to Granger.

* * *

Hermione's eyes began to drift as she sat on the window sill. To say she hadn't been sleeping much lately would be an understatement. Since she broke up with Ron, she had troubles sleeping, being kept awake by the things he had said to her during their break up. Hermione knew she was good at a lot of things, but dressing up was not one of them. It didn't bother her when people she barely knew made a snide remark about her or her appearance, but when Ron said those things, it struck a nerve. She had thought he cared for her, despite her flaws in her appearance. But there he stood, cutting her down for all her teenage insecurities

She got over it slowly, and after a while, she was nearly okay again. But seeing him at The Burrow had brought all her feelings crashing back down. She kept herself busy during the day so she could avoid thinking about seeing him, and avoid thoughts on having to confront him in the future. But at night she had nothing else to think about. There was nothing she could hide behind, or nothing that could mask her feelings. So she did what she did best; she thought about it. It was at times like that she hated herself for thinking so deeply because it did her absolutely no good, except cause her more pain.

Even now as she drifted, the thoughts lingered in the back of her mind, waiting to jump in any chance they could.

Her eyes startled open, as she heard an increasing volume of pecking at her window. She stood up, to see her owl, and another one at the window. How long had they been there?

She stood up, to go let them in, and to get the letters from them. She took a letter from her own owl first, seeing as the reply was probably from Malfoy, and she was curious to see what he had said in his reply.

Hermione opened the letter to see an elegantly written reply:

_Dear Granger,_

_I must admit, I am a bit surprised that you even had to ask to keep visiting Jamie. He's a really good kid, and doesn't have a lot of friends who visit him, and I think it could benefit him to have you visit him, if it is something you desire to do. He couldn't stop talking about you the next day, and I know you made his day with your visit. He already has a whole list of things he wants to talk to you about next time he sees you._

_Also, I cannot fathom why you would possibly wish to help me with this research. I won't lie, it's a dull, and extremely boring task. But if you truly wish to do so, I will not stop you. It will be helpful to have someone else give me a second opinion, and a helping hand with Jamie. Of course, I do need to consult my supervisor, but when she agrees, which she probably will, how about we meet up to discuss the case and I fill you in on what I know already?_

_Best Regards,_

_Draco M._

She smiled as she placed down his letter, knowing that he didn't think poorly on her for wanting to help. Ron had never been one to take any sort of help, especially in Quidditch. She couldn't lie when she said she appreciated the sport, but she had gone out of her way to learn it for him, knowing that it meant something to him. She had tried to help him by offering him strategies on how to block more shots, but he had laughed at her and told her that she sucked at Quidditch, so she should keep her nose in a book, and not in a sport which she couldn't begin to understand.

She grabbed the other letter, as the owl began getting a bit agitated looking, and nearly pecked her.

"Watch it," she scolded the owl, as she opened the letter.

_Hermione,_

_There's been another murder._

_Harry_

* * *

Hermione sighed as she made her way back to the room with the body. Her team had cleared the entire house, and the Aurors had cleared the ground, and still, no one had found a single clue. The murder had been done so cleanly that there was once again no evidence.

It was another former Slytherin, Marcus Flint. She remembered him from the various conflicts between the Slytherin-Gryffindor Quidditch teams. Like Pucey, no one had heard much from Flint since the Death Eater trials, and one had to wonder just what he had been up to.

"Find anything?" Patrick asked her as she entered the room. She had cleared that one to begin with, but told the younger man to check it over once more. Patrick had been a year younger than them in Hogwarts and was a Ravenclaw. He had been recruited into the department fresh out of Hogwarts, and had worked under her for as long as she had the team.

She shook her head, "There's nothing; absolutely nothing."

Dean looked up from the body he was inspecting. It was his job to inspect the body after mortem to detect the cause of death, but also to try and find any fragments that the killer had left behind, be it a piece of hair, or a nail clip. People had been rightfully convicted for less.

"The body is clean, Hermione. But there's something you should see," Dean said, as he held up a piece of paper. "This was in his pocket. It was clearly intended to be found, but whoever did this, didn't want to make it obvious."

So the killer's motives wanted to be found. But what could cause someone to kill two people who seemed innocent?

She opened up the note.

_I disagree with the Ministry's verdict. The guilty will get what they deserve._

Hermione paled, she knew exactly what this mean. She passed the note to the rest of her team, "Someone is going after former Death Eaters."


	6. Diagon Alley

**Chapter 6**

Hermione stared at the cup of coffee in her hands. It had been a long 24 hours, and she hadn't slept during that time at all. Marcus Flint's death had brought in the entire team of Aurors, and even the Ministry of Magic asking questions. It didn't help that the media had somehow found out about the two murders and had drawn their own conclusions. The entire thing was a nightmare, and she was just so tired of everything, and wanted to do nothing more than sleep, or read a book, or something that meant she would be away from the circus in front of her.

But instead here she sat at this meeting with all the other important people in the Ministry Law Enforcement Department. After she had found that note, she had given it to Harry. The look on his face had been so grim, as if flashes of the war were haunting him.

She knew, because she felt it too. It was like a milder version of what the last year of the war had been like, but the idea that people were being hunted again brought it all back.

The first month after the war had been awful for her. She had nightmares of the war; from Malfoy Manor, to the hard nights in the forest. It was worse because she spent the entire month in Australia with Harry attempting to find her parents. Ron had told her flat out that he couldn't go with her because he needed to be with his family after Fred's death. She understood, of course she did. But she needed him too, and he wasn't there for her.

If it wasn't for Harry then she didn't think she would have been able to survive the entire time alone. He kept her grounded when she got lost in the pain and helped remind her that it was all over. He was the one who found her parents in the end, locating them in a small town. It had taken her everything to reverse their memories and restore them back to their old state.

Needless to say, they were furious with her. Five years later, and they were slowly getting back on track. It had taken them a lot of time to forgive her for lying and erasing their memories. Harry had been nothing but helpful, and she loved him so much for that. He had always had her back no matter what happened.

"You okay?" she heard a familiar voice ask her. She turned around to see none other than Harry standing there. "You've been staring at your cup for the last five minutes. I was beginning to worry."

She gave him a soft smile, "It's just been a really long day," she explained.

He nodded, "I know what you mean. I might need you to explain some of the things that you found. Would you be okay with that?"

"Of course," she said, as she straightened up. Despite what some people may have thought, her role in the war didn't buy her a job. It was the hard work and dedication that got here, and she would be damned if anyone said otherwise.

He gave her shoulder a squeeze before going to the front of the room to address everyone.

"Good evening," Harry opened. "As you know, within the course of the last two weeks, there have been two murders; Adrian Pucey, and Marcus Flint. Both were former Hogwarts Students in the same year. They both come from long lines of pureblood families, and were also tried and found innocent of Death Eater involvement activities. Other than that, both appear to have been rather isolated for the last several years, with limited involvement to the outside world."

"Do we have a motive?" Kingsley asked him from the chair he was sitting in.

Harry gestured to Hermione, who stood up to address the room at this point. "From what we could find, there was not a single shred of evidence in either of the houses to implicate a perpetrator. If it weren't for the bodies, one would assume that not a single thing was out of place. Other than body damage, there was nothing found on Pucey, but there was a note on Flint," Hermione said with a pause. "_I disagree with the Ministry's verdict. The guilty will get what they deserve._"

"So someone's targeting Death Eaters?" one of the colleagues asked her.

"Ones who were innocently convicted," she corrected.

"There are hundreds of Death Eaters who got off because they were one way or another pressured into it," another person said. "How are we supposed to figure out who could be next?"

"At this point we have nothing to go on," she said formally, hoping she didn't have to flat out say she had no idea.

"I think what we need now is to find a motive," Kingsley said.

"Is it possible that this is just someone blaming the entire war on purebloods in general?" a younger voice asked; muggleborn, or half-blood probably. A pureblood would never have suggested such a thing.

"It could be," Hermione said, desperately trying not to sound as unsure as she felt.

"At this point someone could even be targeting the old bloody Slytherin Quidditch team. We just don't know," Zachariah Smith said, snappily.

Harry stood up to regain control of the room. "As you can see, there is a serial killer on the loose. It's one thing when it's a single murder, because that way no one else is getting hurt, but now we can tell that there will be more, Merlin knows how many. And until we can catch whoever it is who is responsible, we need to take cautions. This person cannot know that we are semi aware of what they are planning, so we need to spin it to the media as if they are two separate entities. Also, we need to find out what other connections these victims may have had, other than the obvious…" Harry said, as he addressed different people with each role. He continued to read off a list, giving different people different tasks. Finally, when everyone had something, Kingsley stood up.

"It is clear that there is a lot for us to do. I suggest you all get on with the different tasks that Mr. Potter has assigned you. In the meanwhile, Miss. Granger, Mr. Potter, may I have a word with the two of you before you return to your jobs?"

They both nodded as the rest of the room cleared out to get on with the respective job their team had been assigned.

"I'm sure the two of you both know what something like this could do to us right now," Kingsley said in his deep voice as soon as the room was empty. "It has taken us so long to restore England to peace after the war. While there is still some prejudice, it has greatly decreased to the point where every witch and wizard is nearly equal. The old ways have basically been eradicated, and we have prospered so much without a lingering fear over us. If the truth to this gets out, it will throw away everything we have achieved. People will begin to panic, and everything will come crashing down. The world will become ripped apart with fear."

He took a brief pause, "You and I both know that there are still a few Death Eaters that have not been rounded up; Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange among them. While they may not have as big of a following, they could easily use the uproar to their advantage to start something back up again. The last thing we need is for that to happen. The different blood types will be split up again."

Hermione shook her head, "We won't let it come to that, I swear."

"We'll get this bastard," Harry promised. "We worked too hard for it all to go to waste. The last thing either of us want is for that to happen."

Kingsley nodded at the two of them, "I'm glad. I trust the two of you explicitly, and I know what you have accomplished in the past. That was half the reason I made sure both of you got your positions; your dedication and determination showed you were the perfect candidates. Keep me updated of anything and everything you might find, no matter how small."

Harry and Hermione left his office together, knowing they had been dismissed.

"I'll walk you back to your office," Harry said as he broke the silence between them.

"Why now?" she asked softly.

"Hmm?" he asked her, clearly perplexed by her question.

"The war has been over for five years. Any issues someone could have had could have been brought to light at any time. Instead, it's happening now. There hasn't been a single act of strong violence in months before this, so there was no trigger. It almost seems random."

Harry nodded, "I know. I guess we're going to have to just keep looking."

* * *

"Make sure you don't let go of my hand, no matter what, okay Scorpius?" Draco told his son as he led him through the crowded streets of Diagon Alley. It had been a long day, and Draco had just taken his son shopping for new clothes. He didn't understand how he grew up so quickly, or how enlargement charms could stop working. He could swear that clothing stores had conspiracies where after a point their clothes would be unaffected by magic, forcing them to have to buy new clothes again.

"Eye cream?" his son asked as he pointed to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Draco had promised Scorpius that if he went on this trip with him, he would be able to get any flavour of his choice; single scoop, obviously.

As his son him into the store, Draco couldn't help but give his son a smile, "Chocolate Frogs and Peanut Butter?" he asked his son, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah!" Scorpius said, with a wide grin on his face. "I get that one?" he asked the guy serving the ice cream.

"What do you say, Scorpius?" Draco asked his son gently. "Single scoop, please."

"Pwease and hank-you," Scorpius said as the man handed him his scoop of ice cream.

"Do you want to sit here, or keep walking around?" he asked, knowing Scorpius was enchanted by Diagon Alley, and loved to see the place.

"Me see Alley," the excited two year old said as he took a bit out of the ice cream.

They were barely out of the door when a lady bumped into them, and knocked Scorpius' ice cream to the ground. He saw his child's eyes begin to droop, and looked angrily up at the lady.

"Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry!" a familiar voice said softly. "I honestly didn't mean to do that." She looked up, and Draco saw that it was Granger.

"Malfoy?" she asked him confused. "Is this your _son_? I didn't know you and Astoria had any children." She didn't wait for him to reply, before crouching down by his son and saying, "I'm really sorry I wasn't watching where I was going. Can I buy you another one?"

Scorpius immediately looked up at Draco, who was at a loss for words. She didn't have to do that. She could have just apologised and gone on with her life. But here she was, offering to make it up to them. Draco honestly could say that he didn't understand Gryffindors.

"How bout that, Scorp? How bout Miss. Granger buys you a new one?" Draco asked. As his son's smile gave him an answer, gave Granger a nod.

She practically ushered them into the store and went up to the man. "Could I get a triple scoop of what he just ordered?" she asked, as she gestured to the boy. She paid, and handed him the cone. "I hope this can make up for the fact that I made you drop your last one."

"Hank you!" Scorpius said as his face broke into a grin at the sight of the amount ice cream he would be getting now.

Draco led them to a table, deciding it was best to sit this round through. "Thank you for buying him one, Granger. Not many people would have done so, especially all things considered."

She shook her head, "I'm so sorry about it. I haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately, and I've just been so out of everything. I should have been watching where I was going, so it seems like the least I could do is buy him another one."

Draco smiled, "I think you're his new favourite person, Granger. I doubt he'll get any sleep tonight."

"Hermione," she said. He looked at her in confusion, so she elaborated, "We're not exactly in Hogwarts anymore. I think that we should at least call each other by our given names, seeing that we keep running into each other." She paused, "Of course we don't have to…never mind, it was stupid anyways-"

"Hermione Granger saying something stupid?" he asked her, to stop her rambling. "I have yet to see the day."

She took a moment to realise what he said and meant, before shooting him a grateful smile.

"What's got you so frazzled anyways? I don't recall ever seeing you as such since the NEWTs, and everyone knew you were going to get Os on all of them."

She sighed, "It's this awful case. I'm sure you read the papers and found out about Flint."

Draco nodded. He had been stunned to find out that another former acquaintance of his had been killed. It was a startling revelation, and he began to worry, so had added several more protection charms to his house.

"I just am at such a loss. I don't know how to figure it out. There's nothing, absolutely nothing. I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I probably will get into trouble if anyone found out," she said, looking guilty when she realised what she had just told him.

"Probably because you need a friend. You don't have to worry though. I promise you whatever you say will not leave this table, Hermione," he said, as he tried out her name for the first time.

Her eyes softened, "Thank you, Draco. I know how hard this probably is 'on you. They were your friends, or at least acquaintances, and now they're gone from your life. I know how hard that can be, and I want you to know that if you ever need to talk about it to anyone, I'm here for you. I know we aren't exactly friends, or anything of the sort, but if you need me, then you can come by my office any time you want," she said, rambling again. Somehow, Draco found that he didn't mind, regardless of the fact that it was something he generally hated when other people did it.

"Well isn't this comfy," a voice sneered. "Nice to know that you're creating a new family already, Draco; even if your divorce hasn't even been finalized yet."

"Daphne," Draco addressed her cordially. He didn't want to start a fight with her here in public, or with his son around as witness.

"I see you're making _interesting _choices on who to carry forward with. I know Astoria will want to know who you are replacing her with as the mother of her child. Who knows, maybe this will even get her full custody of her son," Daphne said with distain.

He got up and in a low voice said, "You and I both know this divorce was Astoria's idea. She decided she didn't want anything to do with me, or anything to do with her son in terms of being a full time mother. If it's visitation rights you want, you'll have to speak to your sister about that, but otherwise, it's none of your bloody business, so I suggest that you leave here quietly, seeing that you've already made such a ruckus. Now, please," Draco said, as he gestured to the door.

Daphne narrowed her eyes at him, but realised that she had lost this round. She harrumphed, but stalked out the door with her head held high, to show that his words had very little effect on her, and that it was nowhere near over.

Draco sighed as he sat back down in his seat. Scorpius seemed unaware of the entire situation, however Hermione had not.

She didn't say anything, as if she was unsure of what to say in response to the situation, or that she was afraid of overstepping.

"Are you okay?" she asked, after a moment, watching his face for any reaction. It was like she was analysing him like he was one of her cases. Somewhere before responding, he felt a surge of anger flow through him.

"I'm fine," he snapped. "Just drop it okay?"

She looked a bit startled, but didn't respond. Instead, she simply stood up and grabbed her bag. "Of course. I should get going anyways, it's getting late, and I still have a lot of work I have to do before tomorrow. I'll see you around, Draco."

He sighed. He knew full well he was in the wrong. He was angry at Astoria for wanting to leave Scorpius, and he was angry at Daphne for the scene she had just caused. But Granger, Hermione, had done nothing to deserve that anger. He knew he would have to apologise to her, but at the minute he found himself unable to move, weighed down by his guilt and a bit of stubbornness.

"Daddy, I like the nice lady," Scorpius said suddenly, as he looked up from his ice cream cone, half of which was smeared on his face. Draco conjured up a napkin and began to wipe his face gently. "Can she come play with me some time? I want to see her again."

Draco looked at his son, "I hope so, Scorp. I like her too."


	7. Lunch

**Chapter 7**

Hermione sat at her desk with her head between her hands. She had so much paperwork piling up because of this case, and she hadn't even gotten through half of it. The worst part of it was that no matter how they tried to spin it, the Daily Prophet was insistent on going their own direction with the story, which sadly was close to the truth.

The deaths were related, and they were both purebloods who were former unconvinced Death Eaters. With the sixth anniversary of the final war right around the corner, it seemed as if everything was just lining up to make the perfect story for the writers.

It seemed as if the trail was going cold at both houses, and while both bodies had a few substances of unknown origins, there was nothing to tie it to another person, meaning the killer was free to go after their next target, whoever that poor soul was.

It didn't help that she was still upset over the incident with Draco yesterday. She knew that it was none of her business to protrude in his business with his wife's sister. That was a matter that was entirely his, and if he didn't want to share his problems with her, then he had absolutely no obligation to. After all, they weren't friends. Hell, they weren't even colleagues. They had nothing in common other than the fact that he was an acquaintance of one of her murder victims.

Speaking of which, Hermione picked up her quill. One thing they hadn't looked at completely was the spells used on both victims. Before now, they were looking for obvious details; anything on the surface which could tell them physical attributes about the killer, such as sex, age, or race. But there were other things they could test still. She made a note to get Seamus and Patrick to look over spells used on both victims and cross reference them. If any were used in conjuncture between the two, it could help them. Certain rarer spells were all but lost to the wizarding word, and only accessible in certain rare texts. Ones like those would be easier to trace, as a limited amount of people would have access to them.

'_Yes!_' she thought to herself as she scribbled a quick note down on parchment to send to Seamus and Patrick. Zachariah was still working on checking over any similarities between the two bodies, and as her second (something which she sometimes despised), he had just as much responsibilities when it came to paperwork as she did.

She got up and attached the note to the Ministry owl and released him out the window before returning to her desk. She was aware of how much of a long shot it was. For all she knew, all the spells used were common, and just the mere accumulation of them is what resulted in the severe damage to both bodies. Hermione closed her eyes and returned her fingers to her temples, praying for her sake that it wasn't the case.

"Miss. Granger?"

Hermione looked up to see Diane standing in the door. Normally, she was Harry's personal secretary, but she acted as if she were for the rest of them to, in the chance that one of them had a floo call or someone needed to get in touch with them.

"Yes, Diane?" Hermione said, as she placed both her arms back down on the desk to give the girl her full attention. Diane was ambitious, but she was also serious about her job, even if was currently not the most elite job. She was studying on the side to get into Wizengamot as a lawyer, however this job helped her pay her way through. Hermione had already told her on several occasions that when she needed it, she would be glad to be a reference.

"There's a man here to see you," she said. "He said he had to talk to you about something, and wishes for your audience."

Hermione's burrows furrowed, "Did he give a name?"

She shook her head, "No, but he's exceptionally good-looking," she winked. "He even brought flowers! Tell me where you met him! I want to pick one up just like him."

Hermione nearly snorted, "I don't even know who you're talking about." She stood up from her desk to see who it was that had come to see her, who apparently couldn't wait to see her.

She opened the door wider to reveal Malfoy standing on the other side. True to Diane's word, in his arms were the biggest bouquet of flowers she had ever seen.

"Can I speak to you?" he asked her as he gestured to his office.

She stood there speechless, but managed to nod as she opened the door to let him in.

Diane elbowed her slightly to remind her to enter her office.

Her confusion was justified. Whoever thought Draco Malfoy would be standing in her office, wanting to talk to her, with a bunch of flowers? It definitely wasn't normal.

He sat down in the chair that was opposite to her desk, "I'm sorry," he said, breaking the silence between the two of them.

"Sorry?" she asked in confusion. "For what?"

He simply stared at her, "For the way I acted yesterday. You were only trying to see if I was okay, and I took out my frustrations on you. It was unwarranted and completely out of line on my part. Please forgive me?" he asked, as he handed her the flowers. "I wasn't sure what kind you would like, so I got an assortment of roses."

They were red, white, and pink. Her mind automatically began to analyze them before she stopped herself. She doubted that Draco thought too much about the meaning of the colours of roses.

"You didn't do anything wrong," she said as she conjured up a vase to place the beautiful bouquet. "I shouldn't have pried into your business."

"How about we accept that we were both wrong, and you let me buy you a coffee to make up for it?" he asked her.

She looked down at the work on her desk. "I have a lot of papers I still have to sift thought. I don't know if I have time…"

"Nonsense," Draco said. "Have you gotten anywhere lately in while looking into the case?"

"No…" she said slowly.

"Take a break, _Hermione_," he said, with emphasis on her given name. "No one ever preforms well when working under pressure without taking a break."

Hermione closed her eyes, knowing she was going to regret what was about to happen, "Fine! But only an hour, okay? I still have so much to do, and that's the most I can afford to take right now."

Draco's eyes visibly widened, "Really? I had another five arguments ready to persuade you to come out with me. Your secretary warned me that you would not be easy to convince. I even had something to blackmail you with."

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Oh really. And pray tell me, Mr. Malfoy, what did you have to blackmail me with?"

He laughed and shook his head, "Oh no, I'm not telling you. I'm going to save it for next time. Besides, if I told you know, then it wouldn't have quite the effect that I would want it to when I use it again."

"Do you plan to make a regular occurrence of coming to pester me at my place of work?" she asked him with a sigh.

Draco smirked at her. "Now that I'm aware of how fun it is? Of course!"

She glared at him, "Maybe I just won't go out with you today, then! That way I get to work, and you'll stop bothering me."

He held his hand to his heart. "I see how it is, Granger. Fine, then I won't give you the good news that I had planned on. I was rather excited about it too, but see if it matters to me. I have better things to do anyways. Who knows, maybe your cute receptionist is free and wants to go to coffee with me."

"I hate you sometimes," she grumbled as she stood up from her desk and grabbed her wand and purse.

"Does this mean you do intend to come out with me tonight?" he asked her teasingly.

"Shut up, Draco," she said, as she stuck his tongue out at him.

"Mature, Granger. I think my son has more manners than you."

She grabbed his hand to yank him out the door. "Let just go, shall we? Before one of us decides just to ditch the other and go out with someone else."

"That would be slightly tragic. Yes, let us prevent that. Do you need to tell your secretary when you plan to get back to your work?" he questioned her.

"Yeah," she said. "Diane, I should be back in an hour, okay?"

Diane had a look of shock etched on to her face. "You actually got her to leave? Not even Ron Weasley got her to do that!"

Her face tightened at the mention of her ex's name.

"Well it's a good thing for all of us that I am not him, isn't it?" Draco said smoothly as he placed his hand on the small of her back.

She shot him a grateful smile, as Diane blushed, "Of course, Mr. Malfoy. Take your time, Miss. Granger. I'll hold all your owls and floo calls and tell them that you will return their message once you return back to work."

Less than fifteen minutes later they were seated in a private booth at a new restaurant in Diagon Alley. She had allowed him to order for her, seeing as he had been here a few times before and knew the menu far better than she had.

"So what's this good news?" she asked him as she leaned slightly forward.

Draco smiled as he took a sip of the coffee in front of him, "I talked to my supervisor about allowing you to help me research in on Jamie's case. At first she seemed a bit hesitant, but I was able to convince her to let you in on it."

"Smooth talk her, did you?" she asked him with a smile, knowing what kind of strategy he would have used.

He laughed, "Just a bit," he admitted. "She's always had a bit of a soft spot for me, but more in a maternal sense over anything else. Knowing it was Hermione Granger who wanted to help pretty much sealed the deal. Who better to consult than the best there is in research?"

Hermione's cheeks reddened, "I'm not the best there is. I'm good at my job, but there's plenty other witches and wizards out there who are far better at this than I am."

Draco wiped a dab of coffee off his lip, "Don't be so modest, Hermione. There will probably be someone better than the best out there, but at the same time, give credit where credit is due. Research is your forte, and it's something you are well known for. If there's anyone who can help me find out what's wrong with Jamie, it would be you."

"Thank you," she said softly. Complements weren't something she was used to. At school people loathed her for having a brain, and now that she was a 'war heroine', people pretty much expected excellence from her. But it was rare for someone to give her praise for it. She felt warmth spread across her chest.

"You deserve it," he said gently.

She began to feel embarrassed, so she decided to change the subject, "How is Scorpius doing today?" she asked him.

"He's great," he said, eyes glowing with mention of his child. "He wouldn't stop talking about the 'nice lady who bought him ice cream' all of yesterday. I swear I've never heard him so energetic about another person before."

"He's a really sweet kid," she said softly.

Draco was silent for a minute, "He is. He's so good; sometimes I can't believe he's mine."

She furrowed her brows, "Draco, he looks just like you," she said, unsure of what he meant.

"I know," he said, a bit frustrated. "It's just that I'm not sure how someone like me could have created something as perfect as him."

"Draco-" she started.

He held up his hand to silence her, "No, listen. I've screwed up so much in my life, and even now I still have so much crap in my life. But there's Scorpius, like a perfect little beacon of light. I might not have done a lot right in my life, but he's absolutely perfect. That's why I got so angry yesterday at Daphne."

"You don't need to tell me this," she said gently. "You don't owe me any explanations for what happened. It's a private matter, and I intruded into something that didn't concern me."

"Hermione," he stopped her again, as he briefly placed his hand on hers, before quickly removing it again. "I consider you to be a friend, even though we barely know each other. And I know so much happened between the two of us in the past, so it makes it really unreasonable for you to want to even consider it. But with that said, I like your presence in my life, and I want you to know just how sorry I am for everything I did and said in my youth. I wish I had an explanation that could justify it, but I don't. There is nothing that could justify what I did or said to you, and half the student body at Hogwarts."

It was her turn to stop him, "Draco, I don't blame you. I'm not going to lie, some of the things you said were hurtful, and I wish it could be taken back. However, I told you this already; what happened during the war was not your fault. We both partook in the war to keep the people we love safe. You were just on the other side because you cared for your mother, and your father, but you did not join because you intended to kill or hurt anyone. All of this was proven during your trial for the rest of the world to see."

She paused before continuing, "I think I would like to be your friend too. I enjoy your company, and I like being able to have discussions with you. But I don't want you to ever feel obliged to tell me something you don't want to tell me."

Draco smiled at her. "I want to tell you about it. It'll be a relief to be able to tell someone who is on the outside of it all. My marriage to Astoria was not one of love. We had a betrothal contract signed at the time of our birth, and if we didn't go through with it, then both parties would end up dead. It's a horrible, gruesome old Pureblood tradition to ensure good families merge. However our contract apparently had a loophole. While Astoria had to give birth to my heir, nothing said she had to stick around after. She found a lawyer, and has served me papers, asking for a divorce."

Hermione was stunned, "Does she at least want Scorpius in her life?"

"Not full time. She wants to be able to see him every now and then, but as far as she's concerned, she doesn't want to be in his life"

"Did you see it coming?" she asked, instead of what she really thought. What kind of person, what kind of _mother_, would not want to be involved with her child's life?

"A bit," he admitted. "After she gave birth to Scorpius two years ago, she's been staying at one of the summer homes. I guess it just took her a while to find a loop hole with enough cause to grant her a divorce."

"And Daphne?" she asked, wondering where she fit into the equation.

"I have no idea. Maybe Astoria told her this whole thing was my idea. We've never seen eye to eye," he said, sounding slightly distant.

"I'm sorry," she said, meaningfully. "For all of it. I know what it's like to be left by someone."

"You don't have to talk about it either, if you don't want to," Draco said quickly.

"No," she said. "I want to. Like you said, it'll be nice to talk to someone on the outside of it all. Everyone in my life pretty much is trying to stay out of it, and I just want to talk to someone without worrying about what I say."

Draco gave her a soft nod, "Of course. Whatever you want."

"I think it started directly after the war. All of a sudden, everyone knew who we were. The _Golden Trio_, they called us. Everywhere we went, everything we did, people knew about. It was like there wasn't a single moment of privacy. It was the worst for Harry. Everyone just wanted to show him their gratitude, you know? But Harry just wanted to get away from it. He didn't want any of it, he never has. I was the same; I hated it. All I wanted was to finish school and get a job because of my hard work, but everyone wanted me, because then they could say they were the ones who Hermione Granger chose to work for. Few people actually cared about my skills or my merits. Kingsley, however gave me exactly what I wanted. He gave me a job because he knew what I wanted to do. He let me create my own little division and help people, all while being able to research what I wanted."

"It was different for Ron though; being the second youngest of seven children means often being overlooked and going unnoticed. He grew up in the shadows of his brothers and their achievements. The only reason it was different for Ginny, was because she was a girl and had long learned to stand his ground. Ron loved all the attention the media gave him; he devoured it. And then he became a Keeper for the Cannons, and his popularity increased tenfold. He got so caught up in the lifestyle that he forgot that he was still a man as well. He lost track of things like ideals and morals, and lived superficially. Eventually he told me that I wasn't _pretty_ enough to be his girlfriend, and that I just didn't care enough about my looks."

Draco began to protest, but she ignored him, wanting to continue before she lost the nerve.

"He cheated on me," she said, and that instantly silenced him. "I've never told anyone that before. He told me that he'd been screwing around with some French model for the last year, and that _she_ was the kind of girl he needed on his arm. I wanted to be angry, and I wanted to be livid, but I didn't have it in me. I was so tired of everything; of his lies, of his desire to be famous, of him."

"You deserve better," Draco said, cutting in. "You deserve someone who appreciates every aspect of you; someone who challenges you, and someone who cares for you unconditionally."

"Be sure to let me know when you find someone like that, okay?" she said dryly.

He chuckled, "Of course."

They spend the next couple of hours talking with each other, not even realising the time flowing by. It wasn't until she saw the on flow of customers for the dinner rush that she realised. But by then, Draco had insisted that they just stayed to eat dinner as well, seeing that they had been there for so long. She knew she was going to owe Diane an explanation, but she pushed the thoughts out of her mind for the time being. Instead, she chose to enjoy her present company for a while longer.


	8. The Dinner

**Chapter 8**

**_Golden Girl Steps Back Into the Limelight, And She's Not Alone_**

_By Parvati Patil_

_ It's been months since our second favourite couple, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger has called it splits, and Merlin knows just how devastated all of us were since then. No one saw it coming, except if you recall, this reporter who saw it from a mile away. After all, they were as different as night and day. He loved the spotlight, and she preferred the shadows. How much could a couple like that even have in common anyways? It's a wonder they even lasted the five years they did._

_ Since the time period, Ron Weasley has been linked with socialites such as Jane Dumont, Marianne Bordereau, and most recently Ava Knightingale. That is not to mention the multiple short-term flings he's had, and the rumoured one night stands. If these rumours are anything to go by, he has definitely been one very busy man. _

_ Granger however has taken a very different approach to her newly single life. Like the bookworm she is, she had completely submerged herself into her work, which most recently has been in the pureblood serial murders (for more on this case, see page 4). When asking around her workplace, the common response was that she had turned into a complete workaholic (more than the usual, which if I recall, was one of the reasons Weasley ended their relationship. Really, she did the complete opposite of what would get him back). One co-worker even stated that Granger '_never leaves her work, and if anyone came by to ask for her to come out in a social manner, [Granger] would flat out turn them down. She only cared for her work, and not even Harry Potter was successful in deferring her from it.'

_ So imagine this reader's surprise when Britian's newly single bachelor, Draco Malfoy has been spotted out to lunch with none other than Miss. Granger. Malfoy is a healer at St. Mungos speciality ward, in which he treats the most rare diseases. If that's what it takes to get his audience, then I'm half tempted to get myself diagnosed with Dragon Pox. While previously married to Astoria Malfoy, née Greengrass, their marriage crumbled to the ground, roughly around the time of Granger and Weasley's. Hmm…this author can't help but wonder if there's something more to the break up to both these relationships that is not public knowledge…_

_ Granger and Malfoy allegedly went out for a lunch date, however, it quickly turned into a dinner date when the conversation seemed to keep flowing. Witnesses say that sparks were flying everywhere and the chemistry between them was so hot that it was a miracle they were able to keep their hands to themselves! If Granger is one thing, it's a lady, and a lady never displays such an indecent display in public. The couple has apparently been spending quite a bit of time together, as when Granger was apparently seen on a date the previous day with Malfoy when his former sister-in-law disrupted and stirred up quite the commotion. Matching the etiquette of his beau, Malfoy manage to defer the situation without attracting any more attention._

_ I don't know about you, but I am dying to know more about this new delicious couple! Ask me if I ever thought I would have seen this coming, and my answer would have been a definite no! In Hogwarts, they were so opposite from each other. But something about them now is attracting my curiosity. I want to know everything about what makes them tick, and just how they feel about each other. _

_ So stay tuned readers, because I will get to the bottom of this mystery, or my name isn't Parvati Patil. You know my motto, 'If something is a secret, then you better just share it, because I will unravel all of your dirty laundry'_.

Hermione snorted into her cup of coffee as she read the last line of the ridiculous front page Prophet article that was on her desk that morning as came into work. Didn't Parvati have anything better to do than speculate, very poorly if she might add, into Hermione's love life?

Not that there was one to really look into anyways. The article was pure garbage! She didn't even have feelings for Draco that way. She couldn't wait to laugh about it with Ginny later! The witch would have a good laugh knowing just badly Parvati was mistaken.

She groaned after remembering just who Ginny was married to.

"Is this true?" Harry said as he dumped his copy of the article on her desk as he came in. he stood opposite to her, crossing his arms, with his eyes staring deeply at hers. It was as if he was searching her, waiting to see what she said so he could figure out if she were lying or not. "Are you dating _Malfoy_?"

She stared at him, incredulously, "No!" she exclaimed. "Of course I'm not dating Draco Malfoy! Honestly Harry, if I were to get involved with someone, it would be very, _very_ slowly. I'm not completely up to dating again, just yet. You know that."

He looked as if his cool demeanour was beginning to crack, however he still held up a little bit, "So you didn't spend _hours_ with him yesterday at lunch? Because I just talked to Diane, and she mentioned how you never came back from the apparent one hour break you were planning on taking. How is it that Malfoy of all people, is able to convince you to take a break from work, and when I try to ask you even to go down to the Auror café, you refuse flat out, saying you have too much work? When did this even happen?"

She shut her eyes, "Take a seat, Harry," she said, as she gestured to the chair opposite to where she was sitting. She knew he would not be pleased until he heard everything about any so called relationship she was so called having.

He didn't budge, so she gave him a pointed look, which eventually broke him down.

"I honestly didn't see him since the trial until I interviewed him about Adrian Pucey. But he, along with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott all came out clean. Even after that, there wasn't much correspondence. But when you were admitted, he was your healer, as he was in the on-call ward that night, as you remember. And when I was waiting outside while Ginny was in with you, I started talking to him. He told me about one of his patients, Jamie, who is diagnosed with a rare disease, and how he loves to read, and that he was a huge fan of mine. He asked if I would meet him, because the poor boy is orphaned and he has absolutely no one."

"And you just went with him? What if he was using this so called child as a way to lure you to your death? How do you even trust him?" Harry asked her, with slight judgement seeping through his voice.

"Harry, he's a healer who works with children. They wouldn't let someone who could possible murder their patients be a healer. So of course I trusted him!"

"I wondered where you went that night," Harry mused, "Ginny said you'd simply gone home, seeing how it was getting late and all."

She looked down guiltily, "I spent most of the night with Jamie, and Draco. We were talking about books, and we took turns telling him all about Hogwarts. Harry, the kid is so young, and there's a chance he may never be able to even see the school! I just want to be able to help."

Harry gave her a pointed look, "Yes, Kingsley mentioned that you would be consulting on a case for Mungos. I meant to ask you about it. I take it you offered to help Malfoy, and don't think I didn't notice that you used his first name."

"We're kinda friends," she said sheepishly, knowing what his reaction would be.

"Okay," he said, surprising her.

"What?" she asked him in shock. "You aren't going to reprimand me on being friends with a Death Eater who could probably kill me because of my blood status and whatnot?"

He shook his head, "I still don't trust him, and it's going to take a lot for me to even get to a place where I could consider it. Besides, I testified for him; I wouldn't have done that if I believed he truly was rotten to the core. At the same time, he's getting you out of your post-Ron funk. He's gotten you to see the light, and has got you involved in projects that aren't exactly related to your work. Do I wish it was me who got through to you? Yes. But I'll take what I can get. And if being friends with Draco Malfoy is what you need, then I can accept that. However don't think that I won't warn him about hurting you. Because I will; and I'll be explicit about what will happen if anything were to ever happen to you."

She got out of her seat and hugged him, "Harry, I want you to know how much I love you, and Ginny. If I didn't have you after all of this, then I don't think I would have been able to have coped. You are my brother, and nothing could ever change that. I love you more than anyone, and I always will. Being friends with Draco will never change that. But thank you so much for giving him a chance. I was so worried that you would yell at me, and listen to the article without letting me explain. Draco is just a friend. It was nice to be able to talk to him yesterday, and we simply lost track of time, nothing more."

"I believe you. Just don't think you need to hide part of your life from me okay?" he asked her softly, "I will always be here for you, and I can accept anything you throw at me. I love you too, and I would never do anything which would mean losing you."

He didn't loosen his grip around her back. Instead, he simply chose to hug her tighter. She felt guilty; in the months since her break-up she had chosen to ignore the rest of the world, including Harry. He didn't take sides anymore, not like he had in third year. So there was no reason for her to have cut him out. But she still did. The article was right in that factor, in which she submerged herself so far into her work to avoid having to face reality; that Ron hurt her, and she didn't know how to deal with it.

"Thank you, Harry," she said softly.

"Come over for dinner tonight," Harry said. "And invite Malfoy. If he's going to be in your life, then I want to get to know him a bit, just to make sure he's as decent as you say he is."

She shook her head at him, but laughed softly, "I'll send him an owl and ask if he's up to it. But Harry, just warning you, he has a son, so he really has changed, for Scorpius. He's responsible and he's racing Scorpius on his own, so whatever he chooses to do will be best for him."

"Malfoy reproduced?" Harry asked, as his eyebrows rose. "I don't even want to know. But tell him that Ginny and I will be more than happy to have Scorpius at dinner, especially with Ginny expecting and all."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said with a grin.

"Right," Harry said, as he released her. "Then I'll let you get back to whatever it is you were doing. Be sure to come by for 6!"

He placed a kiss on her forehead and left the room, leaving Hermione to her thoughts.

* * *

"So are you together?" Ginny asked her the minute she got Hermione alone. She had arrived promptly at 5:59, with Draco and Scorpius.

He had been highly hesitant about coming over to dinner with the Potters because of their past, but she had assured him that neither would be judgemental and that they just wanted to get to know him without all the social stigma that separated them in school. She had promised that Ginny and Harry would be nice to Scorpius and that they just wanted to see their friendship first hand.

She then pulled a card about mending burnt bridges, a muggle phrase which she had to explain to him, much to her chagrin, however it had finally gotten him to cave. She had given him her floo address so he could come over before the dinner, so they could all go together, to save him from any awkwardness of arriving first.

Draco had given Harry a bottle of Odgen's Finest, and presented Ginny with a bouquet of flowers, one that was far less extravagant than what he had given her, but nonetheless beautiful.

Ginny had pulled her into the kitchen, claiming that she needed to talk to her about female things, and said the boys should get to know each other. Scorpius was occupied as he played with one of the toys he had brought along from his home.

"What?" Hermione asked in surprise. "No! I already told Harry that when he came by earlier."

"Yeah, but I figured you just said that to get him off your back," Ginny said as she rolled her eyes. "So what's the truth?"

Ginny was currently at the stove cooking various dishes, a talent she seemed to inherit from her mother.

"That is the truth, Gin. There's nothing between the two of us. He's just my friend," Hermione said, something twinging inside of her.

"That's it?" Ginny said, sounding a bit dubious. "You aren't shagging the incredibly good looking single father?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "Besides, it's not as if he's completely available. He has a son! Scorpius will come first to Draco, and that's how it'll always be."

"So do you want to date him?" Ginny asked her.

Hermione thought about it before answering. "I don't know. We aren't there yet, and right now we're just friends. He's a great guy, and a better father. I don't know if I am ready to date again, but I wouldn't be completely opposed to the idea if it ever evolved to that point."

Ginny shot her a victorious smile, "Good. He's super hot, and if I weren't happily married, I definitely wouldn't hesitate to jump his bones."

"Ginny," Hermione exclaimed with a laugh. "Merlin, you better be joking."

She laughed, "He is really good looking, but I love every fiber of Harry's being, and I honestly wouldn't want another man. But it doesn't mean that I can't look, now does it?"

She shook her head at her female friend, knowing Ginny all too well. "Let's get back to the boys, shall we? I'm a bit worried that we've left them alone for so long."

Ginny took out the final dish, "Could you get them all seated at the table and tell them dinner is ready?"

"Of course."

She didn't know what to expect as she made her way back to the sitting room. Harry and Ginny had chosen to live in Grimmauld Place after they got married. Hermione had helped them redecorate to make it far cheerier and they had finally gotten rid of all the negative portraits that previously hung on the wall (something which required many blasting spells), and replaced them with family portraits, and even one of Harry's parents. They had gone back to Godric's Hallow to see what Harry could salvage from the house, and it was one of the few things they had picked up. Most of the belongings were left there however to remain monumental to his parents.

Whatever she had been expecting, seeing them chatting like old friends was not it.

"But that catch of the snitch was completely illegal! It shouldn't have even been allowed to happen! The referee took too long deciding whether to call a foul or not, and the Falcons swept in and took victory away from the Magpies," Harry argued.

"They deserved it though! After the season they had, any victory is a small one," Draco replied back. "It's not as if they're going to win the cup for the season or anything."

"Figures," Hermione said, drawing their attention, "You two are such boys! I leave you two alone for a little bit, and you end up talking about quidditch! Men…."

"Are we men, or boys?" Draco teased her softly as he stood up.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Hermione said with a teasing smile. "Anyways, Ginny said that dinner is ready, so we should go sit at the table."

Harry shot up, "What do you say, Scorpius?" he addressed the boy. "Shall we go sit at the table so Ginny can bring us some food?"

"Foo!" the two year old said as he clapped his hand, "Hawwy, foo!"

"That's right, Buddy, why don't you go with Harry, and he'll get you all washed up and ready to eat."

Scorpius kept clapping his hands as he went with Harry to get cleaned up.

"Looks like the two of you are getting along well," Hermione said as she turned back to face Draco.

"Yeah," he said softly. "It was weird at first, and he kept asking me about my 'intentions' towards you. I told him that I only wanted for you to be happy and that I wouldn't ruin that. I enjoy your company, and even though we don't know each other that well, I already know that I want you in mine and Scorpius' lives."

She hugged him. She wasn't sure what possessed her to do so, but she lunged at him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was caught off guard by it, but he wrapped his arms around her too, tightening his embrace around her.

"So the rumours are true," a voice sneered from the doorway.

Hermione looked up from the hug to see Ron standing at the door. Oh Merlin, would this be fun.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys! How are you liking this story so far? I find that the words just seem to flow when I start writing a chapter, and I love posting a new one for you guys each week! I just wanted to thank you all so much for the follows, favourites and reviews, and like always, I love hearing your feedback so I know how you guys are reacting to what's happening!


	9. Rude Interruptions

**A/N:** Before I start, I want to state that this is a Dramione story. I had a reader who was a bit confused about that fact, and I just want to point out that this started out and will end up as one. I have nothing against Ron in general, but personally do not support Romione. However, if it is something you do ship, then that is great, and I'm happy for you. I do not always write anti-Ron stories. My last two before this were in favour of him, and I write him in the way that best suits my story. This one just finds itself against him, because it was how I wanted Hermione to appear. So I'm sorry if Ron is a character that you like, but this one probably will be anti-Ron for most, if not all of the story.

Anyways, mini-rant aside, here's the chapter!

**Chapter 9**

She froze up at the sound of his voice. Unlike last time, she couldn't run; not with Scorpius and Draco there. They had come for her, and she couldn't very well leave them here to deal with her mess.

"Hermione, Draco, are you coming?" Harry asked as he came back into the room. Upon seeing Ron standing there, Harry look startled. "Ron? I thought you were in Paris this for a game?"

"I was," Ron sneered. "Then I found out that Hermione was hooking up with a Death Eater."

Draco wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulders as he saw her tense up. She relaxed slightly as she knew he would be by her for this. She knew she was going to have to face Ron eventually. They had the same group of friends, and hoping to avoid him forever just wasn't reasonable. But she wasn't ready to face him yet. Seeing him brought back all the raw feelings of pain and abandonment.

To say she cared for him would be an understatement. She had loved Ron with all her heart, and he had thrown her aside as if it all didn't matter to him. She saw herself having a family with him, and an entire life. So to see him coming after her for attempting to be happy without him hurt.

But more importantly, it infuriated her.

"You should probably leave, Ron," Harry said quietly, knowing full well that a scene was going to erupt. "I'll see you when you return from your game."

"No, I think I'll stay until I get the answers I deserve," Ron said, as he stared straight at them.

"You don't deserve anything," Draco said for the first time. "She doesn't owe you anything; not after how you treated her. Personally, if it weren't for the fact that this was _Harry's_ house I would have thrown you out myself." Hermione watched Draco add emphasis on Harry's name, knowing how much it would infuriate Ron.

"What, I'm gone for a little bit, and the Ferret has already managed to make his way as your friend?" Ron asked Harry in shock. "Did you forget the part that he was a Death Eater, and probably killed people?"

"Don't you dare," Hermione spoke up, knowing she couldn't keep quiet as he lashed out against Draco, who had done nothing wrong. "Don't you dare accuse him of murder. You may not have attended his trial, but I did. Yes, he has committed crimes, but never has he killed anyone. He is a good man, and I won't stand by and watch you go after him."

"How can you even defend him?" Ron asked her, as his eyes narrowed. "How can you stand to be with him after all the things he said to you in school?"

"He's grown up, for Merlin's sake! Just because you hold on to childhood grudges, doesn't mean all of us are incapable of moving on with our lives," she stated heatedly.

"I knew it," Ron said quietly, but that was when it was most dangerous. "It's true what the papers are saying, isn't it. You had an affair with him while we were still together. How else can you explain how all of you are so tight and friends now? You knew too, didn't you Harry?" he directed towards her friend. "You bleeding hypocrite. You find out I cheated on her, and you tear me to shreds with your so called moral compass, but Merlin forbid _Hermione_ screw up for once in her damn life. But the perfect 'Golden Girl' never makes a mistake does she? People would look the other way for her, but if I were to make a mistake, then you all come after me."

Ron looked at her, "You know, that's one of the reasons I ended it. You were so bloody righteous all the time, and you never screwed up. And because of it, I felt as if I were obliged to be as perfect at you, all the time. But look; now you've gone and done it. It's only a matter of bloody time before all of England sees through your charade and realises just who you are, everything aside."

"Don't you speak to her like that," Draco said, rising to her defense. "She has never once cheated on you. She cared for you unconditionally, and you went and betrayed her. And you can mock her all you want, but she really is that perfect, and even if she did have a few flaws, then so what? She's a better person than you could ever dream of, and you know that. You didn't come here for Harry tonight. I don't know how, but you somehow found out she would be here. And I can't think of a damn reason for your unwillingness to let her move on, seeing that you made it perfectly clear that you want her-" Draco paused, as a look of comprehension dawned on his face. "-unless you don't want her to move on, because you want her to be around for you for when you're done screwing around and want to have her there for you. What, were you hoping that you could break her down by insulting her physique, hoping she would look whatever brain-dead diva attracts you, so you could get back with her?"

Hermione was stunned when Draco posed the question. She looked at Ron, waiting for him to deny it, but he never did. Instead, his face grew a few shades darker red.

"Ron, you should leave now," Harry said quietly. "I'll talk to you another time, however I can't look at you right now."

"No," Hermione said. "I need to say a few things to you first." She saw him look at her, with a bit of hope in his face. She had been silent against Ron for years, in hope of making their relationship work, but now she felt no obligation towards him. "I don't love you anymore, Ron. For so long I wondered how I would be able to move on from you, but only recently have I realised that I already had. You held me back, in so many ways. You hated the fact that I had a career, as your own mother didn't work. And you never let me be as intelligent as I really was. Because of you, I held myself back because I didn't want to hurt you. I let you talk about Quidditch 24/7 even though sometimes I wanted to discuss relevant topics, like politics, or even debate ethics. You never did anything for me, without me having to force you to. And I'm not one of those girls who you need to reassure of their beauty; however you just went and tore down whatever confidence I might have had. And no, I didn't cheat on you. But thinking back upon it, I don't know why I stayed with you as long as I did, because I got nothing out of that relationship. So go back to whatever model you're with this week, because it's over between us, and we will never, ever, have an intimate relationship again. Maybe one day we can be friends, but at the minute, I want nothing to do with you."

Draco squeezed her shoulders, as Ron stared at her open mouthed. That was the most she had ever said to him in complaint. For too long had she let him walk all over her, and she wouldn't put up with it anymore. She deserved better. And maybe she and Draco would never become more than just friends, but for now she knew she was ready to be happy, truly happy. And even if she remained single for many more years to come, she was finally at a place with herself where she could be.

"What's taking you lot so long?" Ginny's voice came from the hall as she walked in, carrying Scorpius in her arms.

Ron looked at the child and looked stunned as Scorpius got down from Ginny's hold and ran to Draco, clapping the entire way.

Draco picked up his son and held him closely to his body, all while keeping Hermione close to him. "Mione!" the boy squealed upon seeing her.

"What's this?" Ron asked with a sneer. "You're some great big happy family now? Really, Hermione? It hasn't even been a few months, and now you're already playing house with Malfoy's bastard son? What's the matter, Malfoy? Did your wife not even want to stay with you or your child, so you had to find a substitute?"

"You're out of line, Ron!" Harry said, surprising her. "Don't you dare talk about a child like that; especially since he's too young to have warranted your prejudice."

"Oh don't side with him, Harry. We both know I'm right. Why else would his wife have left him?"

"Shut up, Weasley," Draco growled. "You don't know a damn thing about my life, so stop pretending to have so much insight into it. Astoria and I have an agreement, but it's none of your bloody business. No one wants you here right now, so why don't you just take the hint? Clearly you're imposing, but maybe you're just too thick to see it. Merlin, I knew you were stupid, but you just are exceeding all expectations today, aren't you? Just do us all a favour and leave. If Hermione ever wants to speak to you again, then it is completely up to her, but after the display you put on today, I wouldn't count on it happening any time soon, if not ever."

"Fine," Ron scoffed. "I see you are all bound together. So much for not taking sides, Harry. And Ginny, it's nice to know you're choosing a whore over your family. Wait until I tell Mom about that. She would be ashamed that you would choose a scarlet woman like Hermione."

"Oh grow up, Ron," Ginny said in exasperation. "Clearly Hermione is happy without you, and you're throwing a temper tantrum because you aren't getting your way. She's a better person than you could ever dream of being, but I wouldn't expect you to understand that. She's a mature adult, and if she wants to be with Draco, then you should respect her. It's her life, and when you broke up with her, you lost the opportunity to have a say in how she lives it. You've made your bed, so lay in it, and accept the consequences of your decision. She didn't choose him to get back at you, because she knows how much you hate him. He's good for her, and maybe if you could drag your head out of your arse, you would see that too. And you're my brother, and I will always love you, but I cannot take your side on this matter, because you're in the wrong. So don't you go dragging Mom in this, because you now as well as I do that she would support me. So leave here now, before I get Harry to arrest you for trespassing. You've overstayed your welcome, and hopefully you will reflect and take from this night."

"Whatever," Ron said as he walked to the floo. "I have other places I need to be anyways, and I refuse to stay here with you lot any longer."

Once he had left, Draco turned to her, "Are you okay? I know that couldn't have been easy for you."

She nodded, feeling slightly numb, "I'm good. I'm actually relieved I got to say some of those things to him. I've held in my feelings for so long that when I began to tell him, everything just poured out. But it was good, because for once I got to tell him how I felt. He needed to know that what he did wasn't okay. But at the same time, he needed to see that I could be okay without him. I'm not some toy that he can drop when he's bored and expect to be where he left me when he wants me back."

"I'm sorry I didn't correct him when he thought we were dating," Draco said sincerely. Hermione felt her heart sink as she remembered the truth to their relationship, over the one that she had momentarily believed to be true. "I just didn't want him to have that satisfaction of knowing you were still alone. Not that there's anything wrong with that! I just didn't want him to come up with the notion that he's won whatever race he seems to believe he's in."

She smiled at him, "It's okay," she said as she gave him a peck on the cheek. "It was rather sweet of you to stand up for me. He should never have brought Scorpius into this though! That was completely out of line."

Draco handed Scorpius to Hermione, as the boy began reaching for her, "If he ever says anything like that again, I might not be able to hold back my restraint."

"I won't try to stop you," Harry said. "Ron was just so out of line. I'm not even sure how he found out that we were having dinner tonight. I suppose someone could have told him, but we were talking about it in your office after all, and those walls are pretty sound-proof. I'll have to get some people to look into that. I'll send an owl later tonight to get it done. Who knows what other information could be leaking out."

"We should eat now," Ginny said, as she ushered them all to the table. She waved her wand to quickly reheat the food. "Ron's already wasted enough of our evening, but I'll be damned if he ruins the entire night."

Draco laughed as he seated Scorpius to his left, and sat beside Hermione. Harry and Ginny were on the other side of the table. Ginny may not be a housewife, but she had certainly inherited Mrs. Weasley's ability to cook a wonderful, and enormous, meal. She helped herself to a serving of chicken, and some potatoes. Scorpius seemed a bit unsure of the food, but Ginny placed a plate of chicken fingers and some fries in front of him.

"You didn't have to do that," Draco said, however the gratefulness was imminent on his face.

"Nonsense!" Ginny said as she waved her hand. "I'm expecting, and I know that children don't always like the same food that adults like."

"Thank you," he said softly.

Scorpius watched the exchanged and immediately repeated, "Hank you!"

"No problem," Ginny said to Draco, before turning to Scorpius, "If you want more food, let me know, okay, Honey? Just make sure you leave some room for dessert!"

"More eye cream?" Scorpius asked, his eyes widening.

"No, this is something different, but I promise it'll be just as good, okay?" Harry said, reassuring the boy. "Ginny makes yummy sweets."

Scorpius happily ate his food, while Harry turned to look at Draco. "You know, I had an entire speech planned out. I was going to say that you better treat Hermione well, because she guards her heart close to her, and if you were somehow using this friendship as a way to hurt her, I would arrest you for something or another. But today I saw that you actually care about her. I don't pretend to understand your friendship, but if it makes her happy that's good enough for me."

Draco gave him a genuine smile, but smirked a few seconds later, "Careful, Potter. With words like that, one might think that the two of us are friends."

"Oh Merlin," Harry said, as he laughed, "Wouldn't that be a sight to see?"

Ginny elbowed her husband, "So Malfoy, or should I call you Draco now?"

"Whichever's fine by me," Draco said with a shrug.

"When are you going to ask out Hermione?" Ginny said, as she scrutinized him. "It's obvious that the two of you care for each other."

Draco sputtered, "I-uh-we're friends."

"Yes, Ginny," Hermione said pointedly, with a slight glare. "We're _friends._"

"Whatever," Ginny said with a roll of her eyes.

The rest of the night was spent with the four talking, and getting to know each other better. Hermione smiled as she realised how well Draco fit in with her friends. It made it easier knowing that they accepted him, so she wouldn't be put in a position where she would have to choose between one or the other. She may not have known Draco for a long time, but she knew that she cared about him, a lot. She wasn't quite sure when the last time she'd ever felt like this about someone. It scared her slightly, but she knew herself well enough to realise what she felt. She liked Draco, in a way that was dangerous to any friendship. Hermione didn't know what to do about these feelings, especially since Draco had stated explicitly that the two of them were just friends.

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, as she took a sip of wine and enjoyed the present company. There would be plenty of time to worry about that in the future.


	10. Fredrick Gregson

**Chapter 10**

Harry sat in the chair of his office as he attempted to pour through the murder case. All the minor ones were currently being looked at by some of the lower end Aurors, who had stepped up and taken initiative over them. The case had become top priority, and required all higher ups to give it their full analysis.

However his mind wasn't on the case at all, but was stuck on thoughts of the previous night.

Harry had to admit, for all it was worth, Malfoy was good for Hermione. It was a conclusion he had come to the night before while watching the two of them interact. He kept her balanced, and provided the intellectual conversation that she definitely would not have gotten with Ron. He let her be herself, and let her have opinions that differed from his without becoming defensive.

Ron was one of his best mates, even with the stunt he pulled yesterday. He cared for him as he was a brother that Harry never had. But he couldn't look past that when it came to their relationship. Ron was in the wrong for so many different things, but he refused to accept responsibility for any of it. He lied, he cheated, and he hurt Hermione. Ginny was also a world famous Quidditch player, like her brother, however she was one of the most grounded people he had ever seen.

He had gotten lucky with her. She loved him truly, for everything, despite his past and the things he had achieved. She loved him just for being Harry, and no one else.

It would have been perfect, to have Hermione be with Ron, because it would have been all nicely packaged together. That way, they could all be one big family. However life just didn't work that way and Harry knew better than anyone that some relationships just weren't meant to be.

He had learned from Ginny that Hermione cared for Draco, more than just friends. Of course Ginny had made him swear not to tell anyone that he knew, Hermione included. He suspected that it was something Hermione was still unsure of, and Harry respected that. He wanted to tell her to take a chance if she felt something for her. Granted, it was complicated, Draco having a son and all. However Scorpius seemed to be quite taken with Hermione.

Harry was curious about one thing though, how did Ron know that Hermione would be at his house last night?

"Diane?" Harry called in his secretary, using one of the paging spells he had picked up a few years back.

She stood at the door, and he gestured for her to come in and close the door.

"I have a question for you. Do you know how Ron Weasley may have found out that Hermione and Draco were having dinner at my place last night?" He asked her, hoping she would be able to find out.

Diane shook her head, "It was a conversation you had in private, wasn't it? So the chances of someone overhearing it would be completely unlikely. I can look into it, and see if anyone told him."

He smiled at her, "Thank you, Diane." She began to leave, when he called back to her, "Diane, could you also send Draco Malfoy an owl, telling him that I wish to speak with him about a personal matter?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter," Diane said as she walked out of the room.

It turned out that he didn't have to end up waiting long before Draco Malfoy showed up at his door.

"You wanted to see me, Potter?" Malfoy asked, politely.

"Harry, please," he said, as he invited the man in to come sit. "If you're going to be friends with Hermione, then we could at least call each other by out given nights.

"Right," Malfoy-Draco, said, sounding slightly uncomfortable. "Harry it is."

"I wanted to talk to you about Hermione," Harry said, as he leaned forward.

"I'm not using her," Draco said quickly. "She's a friend, and I enjoy being able to talk to her about things."

"I know," Harry said, and Draco began to look confused. "Look, you were there last night. You saw what happened when Ron came back in. He hurt her a lot, and last night you only saw a fraction of it. You don't know how bad it was when it first happened. She refused to do anything but work, and she tried to cut everyone out of her life. Her parents were barely there for her after the war, and she tried cutting off ties with them as well. She fell into a bad place, and I don't want to see anything like that happen to her again. She's begun to pick herself up, and I think your company is helping her."

Draco sat in silence as he listened, "I had no idea it was that bad," he said honestly. "I knew she was in a lot of pain, but she never told me just how much."

"I also know you have feelings for her," Harry said bluntly.

A wave of shock crossed over Draco's face, but he quickly covered it up.

"Don't act so shocked," Harry said with a chuckle, "A blind man could see your feelings for her. All night you were sneaking glances at her, and you seemed intent on making her smile. It's not hard to tell that you like her."

"I won't act upon it. I care about her too much to jeopardise our friendship. You don't have to worry about it."

"Actually, that is the opposite of what I wanted to tell you," Harry stated. "I don't think either of you should be afraid to act on your feelings because of consequences on the side. I know that there's a lot of bad history, but all of that is in the past. The end of the war gave us all a clean slate, and I'd hate to see you guys lose your chance of happiness."

"Even if I did care for her, there's nothing saying she likes me back," Draco reminded him. "Besides, I also have Scorpius worry about."

"You won't know if she likes you if you don't try," Harry shrugged. "Besides, Scorpius likes Hermione, so I doubt he would mind too much. Every time she talked to him last night, his face lit up so bright."

Draco didn't say anything, and looked as if he was contemplating what he was saying.

"Mr. Potter?" Diane's voice called out from the other side of the door.

Harry called her in, "Yes, Diane?" he asked her.

"A house elf just reported that they found the dead body of their master. I think it's related to the serial killer case."

Harry stood from his chair rapidly, "Diane, contact Hermione and her team and tell them to go to the location to start collecting as much information and evidence as they can."

Draco stood as well, "I see you're busy, so I'll get back to my job," he said.

"Draco, just know that Ginny and I would support the two of you if you began a relationship. And what you chose to do is your business, but if you harm Hermione, I will make you suffer. Don't doubt that for a minute. As much as I like getting to know you, without all the differences of the war, Hermione is my sister, and I will not tolerate anyone hurting her again."

Draco nodded, "Of course, Harry. I'll see you around."

Harry ran his hands through his hair. Another murder was not good. They fought an entire war to prevent the prejudice in society, yet here was someone thinking they were above the law. He hated that this was happening. He would catch this person, one way or another

* * *

Hermione examined the remains of Fredrick Gregson, a wealthy 25 year old, who also happened to be a pureblood. She had assigned Patrick to looking into his history, seeing as she knew absolutely nothing about him. She knew that he probably got his education elsewhere, because she had never seen him around Hogwarts, but that was it.

The scarring of flesh matched those of the other two victims, so she could conclude that the killer was the same. While going over the body, she checked the pockets to see if there was another message, like the one left last time. Smith was standing at the other end of the room, to see if he could collect any sort of trace of another person at the scene.

To her surprise, she found a piece of paper folded neatly, however this time, it was left in the tuck of the victim's shirt.

_I know you think I'm wrong for taking judgement into my own hands, but you do not know the half of it. They watched him die, and they did nothing. They may not have said the spell, but they are just as guilty. So they deserve to face the exact same fate._

"Harry," she said, calling her friend over. "It's a vengeance killing. It's not target towards all Death Eaters, but specific ones. Whoever is after them, is after people who watched a specific person's death and did nothing to help," she said, as she handed him the note.

"While it changes the mentality for this case, I wish I could say this helped us. So many innocents died in the war, and there's no way of knowing just who it was," Harry said with a sigh. If anything, this keeps everything exactly the same as it was.

"I don't think there's anything else I can get from this here, Harry. Mind if I take it back to the lab?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, and beckoned for some of her Aurors to move the body back for her.

* * *

Hermione sighed. She was not a medical examiner, yet here she was going over the body as if it was something she was skilled at. Yes, she would be able to do it efficiently, but it was not her main area of expertise. Thankfully, Dean and Patrick knew enough about the body to take charge in this section. She was simply there to supervise, and provide any insights she may have, in a theoretical sense.

"Well, the damage to this body is identical to the ones on the other two victims," Patrick confirmed.

"Based on the note we found with this body, I think it's safe to say that whoever is killing these people, is killing them because the person they lost died a similar way. The only close connection between our victims is that they all watched the death of this person," Hermione said to them.

"So if we find out who died like this during the war, we could find the killer?" Dean said, piecing together more information.

"Easier said than done," Hermione said softly. "So many people died during the war, and most people don't even know what exactly befell their loved ones during their last moments. Besides there's no way to really tell how each person died, because we didn't catalogue cause of death specifically after the war. The people on duty just said casualty of war. Basically all the remains have been buried already, so we can't even get them back. While knowing how the person whom the killer wants vengeance for would be beneficial, there's no way to get that information."

"So basically, we still know absolutely nothing about the murderer," Dean said flatly, as he drew a conclusion.

"Not necessarily," Hermione stated. "Maybe there's more of a connection in the victims. If we could find out who fought by the victims, or who was in their 'circle', then we may be able to find out other possible targets, and take them into protection. Of course, that's going to be far more difficult, but I'm sure Harry can stick someone on that. Patrick, could send him a real quick owl about that?" she asked him, and he nodded, as he composed what she had just said.

"Hermione," Dean said, as he used his want to magically lift something from one of the wounds.

"What is that?" she asked with a gasp. This was different from all the bodies. There was something lodged into it, something that looked like… "-is that a hair?"

"Yeah," Dean said with a breath. "If this doesn't match the DNA of the victim, then it could be that of the killer!"

"Do a DNA tracing spell to reveal the owner of the hair!" she commanded. "Patrick, I'm sorry to do this, but I need you to send a letter to Harry saying we found something. If it's a false alarm, then I'll apologise to him, but otherwise we got something!"

"_Genetio Revealio," _Dean said, as he pointed to his wand to the tray in front of him.

There was a puff of purple smoke, and once it vanished, there was a scroll beside the hair.

"Dean, you found the hair, so you should be the one to find out who it was," Hermione said, as she handed the scroll to him.

"What happened?" an out of breath Harry said as he entered the room. "I got your message, what did you find?"

"We found a hair. It could belong to the victim, but if not, it could give us the identity of the killer," Hermione informed him. "In fact, Dean was just about to tell us who's hair it is."

Dean unravelled it, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. In this moment, everything could change. Once they found the killer, then the deaths would stop.

Dean read the name, and his face paled. "I think we got it wrong," he said.

Her face fell, "So it was the victim's hair?" she asked, waiting for confirmation.

"No, but I don't see how this person could have done it," Dean said softly. "Denis Creevey; that's who the hair belonged to."

"Colin's brother?" Harry asked, as he ran his hands through his hair. "Man. There's no way the hair could belong to someone else?"

"No," Hermione said as she shook her head. "The spell is one hundred percent accurate. The hair belongs to him. But why would he have a reason to kill anyone?"

"His brother died in the war, right?" Patrick said. "Maybe he wants revenge, because he feels as if the killer, or the bystanders, got off too easily. It's possible he's suffering a mental break down, especially with the anniversary of the Great Battle, and the death of his brother approaching. This could be a result of years of trauma and depression."

"I don't like it," Harry said with a sigh. "Colin was a great kid, and if Denis is anything like his brother, then he would be the last person I would expect this from. But we have a lead, so I'm going to have to bring him in for questioning."

She placed her hand on Harry's arm, "I'll be there with you. You don't have to do it alone."

"I'll get him in first thing in the morning," Harry said. "I'll have some Auror's watch over his home so there's no chance of him fleeing the country.

"What are you going to do right now?" she asked, a bit confused about why they couldn't just bring him in now.

"I have another appointment to get to," He said dodging her slightly.

"Fine," she said, eager to get back to the body, hoping she could find more on the body.

Harry nodded, before leaving her to resume her work.

* * *

He hated lying to Hermione, but he needed to have this talk with Ron to get him to straighten out, and to know his behaviour was not alright.

When he got back to his office, he found that he was already there waiting for him. He closed the door, and sat at his desk.

"Remembered who your friends are, Mate?" Ron asked, with a tinge of jealous. "Or are you all buddy-buddy with Malfoy now?"

"Ron, you need to sit down, and you need to listen real good. Hermione is no longer your girlfriend, so you do not have a right over her life anymore. If she wants to move on, then you let her, because you ended it with her, and therefore lost any chance of having a say anymore. You cheated on her, and lied to her, and if she never wants to get back together with you, then that is completely up to her, and you **cannot** fault her for her choice. She owes you nothing, and if she chooses not to want you in her life anymore, then that is up to her, and you **will** respect that. You are my friend as much as she is, but if you make me chose a side in this, I will not choose you. I care for you a lot, and you're my best mate, however you are wrong in this."

"I want her back," Ron said stubbornly. "I didn't want a serious relationship at the time, but I'm ready to be whatever she wants, and more. Don't I deserve to at least have her hear me out, or is that too much to ask from you, and your so-called right to judge everything and everyone."

"Ron, just last week you were pictured with three different girls! Clearly you aren't ready for a serious relationship. You need to re-evaluate your life, and your priorities. I suggest you go, and think, but really think about it, and decide what you want to do. However, what Hermione choses to do is up to her, and I will in no way pressure her to bend to your will."

Ron stood up and stormed out, but Harry didn't try to stop him. It was time Ron joined the rest of them, and grew the hell up.

* * *

**A/N: **Omg guys, thank you so much for all of your reviews! I love hearing the feedback you give me, and it's such a motivation to write. So thank you for all of your support, and see you next week!


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